Paragon I: Never Simple
by JustAFerret
Summary: A dedicated Migrant Fleet Marine is tasked with rescuing a quarian on her pilgrimage. What he finds is something the quarian race never expected.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic, so please give me a few suggestions to make my writing better. With some luck, this can turn into a full series like I planned. This story takes place before and during the events of ME1. So enjoy!**

Chapter 1: Life

Jaom'Lehto ran through the decks of the Ghalia. When he recieved word of what happened to Pranae, his mate, he had to see if she was okay. He ran down the Ghalia's stairs, anxious to see her. Jaom finally reached the medical wing, a doctor was already waiting for him.

"Jaom, its good you arrived. We don't know how Pranae was exposed to eezo dust, but she is suffering severe effects from it." the doctor said as both of them walked throught the entrance to the medical wing.

"Is it life-threatning? I want her and the child to be safe." Jaom said, relaying his worries to the doctor.

"So far, we don't know. We have had eezo dust exposures before, but the outcomes of all of them are too varied to give an accurate answer." the doctor responded. The two entered a decontamination room, sterilizing themselves as is the standard procedure when in the medical wing.

"And my child, will he die from the exposure?" Jaom asked.

"That is also something I can't anwser. The best we can hope for is that the child won't be affected at all, but it may be wishful thinking." the doctor said grimly. The decon doors opened, revealing Pranae in bed with a couple of wires connected to her suit.

"Pranae, my dear. Are you okay?" Jaom siad, rushing to her side and grabbing her hand.

"Jaom, you're here. I-I've been better." Pranae said quietly. Jaom brought up his other hand and stroked her visor's side.

"You'll be fine. Just please rest, _Drema_." Joam said.

"Joam, if something happens, I want you to-"

"No, no. Don't say that Pranae. Everything is going to be fine. Please, how did this happen?"

"I-I dont really want to say."

"Pranae, you can tell me anything. Our hearts our melded. And I love you." Joam affirmed, there was a long silence between until it was broken by Pranae.

"I wasn't going to tell you, but you deserve to know. Even though I bear our child, I've been sneaking off to engineering duties; against your wishes."

"Its okay, you always were dedicated to the fleet."Joam quickly forgave

"On the way to my workstation, a couple of quarians dropped a cargo box. It was filled with eezo dust." Pranae said even quieter. Joam's grip on her hand tightnened.

"The box fell right in front of me, only inches away. All of the dust spilt out. I felt light-headed, nauseous, and I passed out. When I woke up, I was here." Pranae finished.

"How's the child feeling, has anything happened to him?" Joam asked.

"He...I've haven't felt anything since this happened. I-I think... he-he may have-" Pranae said.

"Please, Pranae, don't say anything. The Lehto's have always been a tough breed. He'll pull through." Jaom assured. Pranae weakly smiled under her helmet, Joam always was stubborn, but this was a time when it was needed.

"Even if...even if he doesn't, I know the ancestors will take care of him." Jaom choked. Pranae's smile immediatly faded, Joam always seemed to have an optimistic view on life, and to see him in such a sad, depressed, and vulnerable state made Pranae shed a few tears, made a tiny bit of herself think that they were never going to recover from this. Joam wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. Pranae returned the affection with equal force.

"_Naktun Vera Malicon Pratse Hequn'lom. Mrantasa'fella ten siero liofo jemte iejen raquen."_ Pranae whispered

"_Liofo raquen." _Joam whispered back. The doctor, Hakem, watched the couple throughout the entire exchange. How something as simple as an accident can affect two people so deeply was astounding. The nurse passed a datapad to him and he began reading it. What he read would either bring them joy or total devastation. He cautiously walked up behind the two and lightly tapped Joam on the shoulder.

"Joam, I'm sorry for intruding, but you must leave now." Hakem said just above a whisper.

"What? Why?" Joam said with a mixture of despair and confusion.

"Something happened when Pranae was exposed to the dust, you have to leave now." Hakem repeated.

"I can't leave her, Hakem. I don't want to leave her alone to fight the unknown." Joam defied.

"Joam, this is urgent. We need to take invasive actions now. It could potentially save your child's life." Hakem reasoned.

"Please, Joam, listen to Hakem. If it can save his life we have to do it." Pranae said. Joam looked at both of them and resigned. He turned back to Pranae and gave her one last hug.

"_Liofo raquen."_ Pranae said.

"_Liofo raquen." _Joam replied. He let go and slowly walked backwards from her. When he reached the decon-room, he patted his chest, where his heart was. Pranae did the same. The doors shut immediatly after, leaving Joam alone with his thoughts...and worries.

"Ancestors, bring our son into our world; let him know what it means to be quarian." Joam whispered to himself.

...

Joam sat on a pipe near Pranae's room. It had been well over an hour since he left her. He was scrolling over the numerous assignments he gave to the engineers on his omni-tool, but his mind was only focused on what was happening beyond the door. Realizing it wasn't keeping him occupied, he closed the assignment window and opened a new one. Fortunately, the flotilla was near a comm buoy, so Joam was able to access the extranet. Even though it lagged and crashed often, it was still considered a luxury for quarians. Joam typed a few commands and brought up the site of Citadel NewsNet. Joam always liked to stay informed about what was going on in the galaxy, even if they weren't a part of it anymore. Sadly, it did nothing to distract him from Pranae. Nothing ever could. He was just about to give up when an article got his attention.

_Turians Mobilizing For Full-Scale War_ _Against Unknown Species_

_The turian hierarchy has announced a declaration of war after one of their units was attacked and destroyed by an unkown race. The unit had conquered the one of the race's territories after it had attacked a small amount of ships attempting to activate a dormant mass-relay. The unit was then beset upon by a larger fleet of ships in a surprise attack. After learning of the attack, the hierearchy had ordered the mobilization of all its fleets. There are no accounts or eye-witnesses of what the race's identity is or even their physical appearence. The council is expected to make a statment today._

_A new race? Great, more people to harass and discriminate us _he thought. It seemed that once he became worried and depressed, everything would have a negative outcome for him. He shut off his omni-tool and continued to wait. Every fiber in his being wanted this crisis to be over. The doors suddenly opened and Joam practically jumped up from his seat. Dr. Hakem walked through, a datapad in hand.

"Hakem, what happened? How is she? Is my son okay?" Joam said in rapid-fire. Hakem held up his hand as if it would stop him.

"Joam, my friend. Something happened to Pranae." Hakem started. Joam was close to falling on his knees in agony.

"The eezo exposure has caused an infection within her system. She will have to remain in bed for an undetermined amount of time. Joam, it is fortunate that things did not get worse from there." he continued. Joam remained silent, not wanting to believe that his _drema _was infected.

"And what of my son? You said you could save his life." Joam said quietly. Hakem put his hand on Joam's shoulder.

"Joam, there's no real way to say this, so I'll just say it. You're a father now." Hakem said with a smile on his face. Joam immediatly raised his head and stood straight.

"Wh-what?" Joam said in a disbelieving tone. Hakem put both of his hands on his shoulders and lightly shook him.

"You're a father now." Hakem repeated with excitment in his tone. Joam couldn't believe it. The ancestors had heard his plea.

"Oh, thank the ancestors! Is he okay? May I see him?" Joam asked eccstatically.

"Yes of course, he is with Pranae. Go, my friend. Meet your son." Hakem said, holding his hand out to the door. Joam walked at a brisk pace towards Pranae's room. The doors slid open and Joam stepped inside. The decontamination cycle began, making Joam wait longer to see his son. He could hardly contain himself. The inner doors slid open, revealing Pranae holding their newborn son in her arms.

"Pranae!" Joam said in the most eccstatic tone of his life. Pranae looked up and smiled under her helmet. She motioned for him to come to her side, which Joam was all to happy to oblige. He walked up to her side and looked at his newborn son, sleeping soundly in Pranae's arms.

"Keelah, he looks so peaceful. Its as if the exposure didn't affect him." Joam said as he stroked his son's cheek.

"Let's not talk about that, Joam. Its over now. We must look to the future. To his future." Pranae replied.

"You're right. We have a lot to do. A lot of guidance to give him." Joam said.

"Let's hope he actually listens." Pranae joked. Joam chuckled in response..

"How are you feeling, _drema_?" he asked. Pranae looked at him and smiled.

"Better than ever." she replied. The baby suddenly opened his eyes, seeing his parents for the first time.

"Look who's awake." Joam said. Pranae looked down and slowly began to rock him in her arms.

"_Naktun Vera Malicon Pratse Hequn'lom. Mrantasa'fella ten siero liofo jemte iejen raquen._" she said to her son. He smiled in response, showing his teeth that were starting to grow.

"Look at him. He's already growing his teeth. A fine set, the envy of all quarians." Joam laughed.

"What should we call him, Joam?" asked Pranae, looking forward to naming the baby. Joam thought hard about what name his son would bear for the rest of his days. A name finally came into his mind. Joam held out his arms, silently asking Pranae to hold his child. She held him out and Joam picked him up. The boy reached out to his father, the small three-fingered hand trying to grab his visor.

"Klenon. Klenon'Lehto nar Ghalia." Joam whispered. The boy giggled in response.

"I think he likes it." Pranae said, patting their son's head. Joam looked down at Klenon's youthful face.

"You're going to have a long life ahead of you, son. Make the most of it."


	2. Chapter 2

**Mass Effect 3 was announced while I was writing this. Woohoo! There goes my free time...and the game hasn't even come out yet. As always, read and review...please?**

Chapter 2: Migrant Fleet Marine

_Name: Klenon'Lehto vas Onara nar Ghalia_

_Age: 26_

_Years of Service: 4_

_Weapon Specialization: Sniper Rifle_

_Rank: Verrunt_

_Current Squad: Bravo Squad led by Kal'Reegar_

_Klenon'Lehto is perhaps the most controversial marine in the service due to his biotic abilities. It was a great cost to the fleet to bring him to his full potential. He is an expert in Stealth and Hand-to-Hand combat, and is able to adapt to multiple situations. His psych report show that he is completely dedicated to the fleet and will respond to any order given. I, Admiral Han'Gerrel, believe that he should be placed on this assignment. Below are a few exceptional qualities._

All four admirals read the dossier on Klenon while Han sat back and watched. He had personally watched over Klenon and saw the potential the marine had.

"Are you sure you want to send only Klenon to find Arenia'Sare? What if his status as a quarian impedes his progress to find her?" questioned Shala'Rann

"I am aware of that, he is trained in the arts of stealth. He will be able to evade anyone who will be a threat to him." Han answered.

"I agree, he has been on tougher assignments. He can handle it." Rael'Zorah said.

"He has only been with the marines for four years, don't you think we should send someone more experienced for a task this important?" Shala questioned again.

"But in those four years he has done more than the average marine, plus he has biotics so he'll be able to fight even when unarmed." Han replied. Shala nodded with satisfaction, all her questions were answered.

"If no one else has any objections I suggest we call for a vote." Zaal' Koris said. All five admirals began typing away on their omni-tools, dispensing their votes to decide if Klenon was up to the task. After a few seconds all votes were casted and Shala viewed the results. Han sat back in a relaxed posture, but deep inside he hoped all the admirals would agree to his suggestion.

"It has been decided that Klenon'Lehto vas Onara will be tasked with retrieving Arenia'Sare nar Qwib Qwib." Shala announced. Han was close to getting up from his seat and doing a victory fist pump.

"When Klenon returns from his current assignment he'll be given this mission. Han, since you are his mentor, you will give him the message." Shala said. Han nodded in agreement.

"This meeting is concluded. Go in peace, Keelah se'lai." Shala finished.

"Keelah se'lai" replied the rest of the admirals in unison. All the admirals gathered their things and left the conference room.

"Congratulations, Han. Your pupil is has been assigned to a mission that could very well rescue our people." Rael praised, outside the conference room.

"I know he can do it. I've watched over him as if he were my own." Han replied.

"You act as if he were your trophy." joked Rael.

"Is that so wrong?" Han joked back. The two chuckled quietly, Rael opened his omni-tool and noticed the time.

"Well I would love to continue this conversation but I have to go see my daughter. Her pilgrimage is starting soon and I have to tell her what is expected of her while she is gone. Our family reputation is on the line after all." Rael said. The two shook hands and Rael turned around and left. Han hesitated for a second then turned on his omni-tool to deliver the message.

_Rael might be pushing Tali too hard...but *sigh* its not my place to tell him._

...

"Damn it, Gar! Open the door now!" shouted Kal'Reegar.

"Hey, you wanna do this? If not, wait a few seconds and I'll open it!" Gar shouted back. The squad was in a slaver base on a moon close to the Migrant Fleet. The slavers kidnapped a whole ship of quarians and the squad was sent to rescue them. They were currently in a hallway trying to open a door with slavers shooting at them, and they had very little cover.

"Oh for the love of Keelah!" groaned Klenon. He fired a singularity at the center of the hallway, catching three slavers in its grip.

"That's better! Squad, focus fire on the targets in the singularity!" Kal ordered. The team obeyed and mowed down the slavers. They were killed within seconds.

"Gar!" Kal shouted again.

"Hold on! Got it!" Gar said. The door immediatly opened and the team quickly ran through. Gar turned around and locked the door. They were inside a small chamber with a dark red lighting The team took a moment to catch their breath.

"Everyone okay?" Kal asked. Klenon quickly looked over his suit, which was generally white in color. The linings, trim, and his sash were blue, but the insignia was white. He patted his visor, which was also blue, to make sure it was still holding together.

"Kal, Jak's been hit!" shouted Lota, the squad's medic. Kal turned around to see Jak laying on his side with Lota hovering over him. Both Kal and Klenon briskly walked over to Jak. Klenon did a quick diagnostic and Lota desperatly applied medi-gel to his wounds. Kal turned Jak over and saw multiple suit punctures on his back.

"I was able to turn on his section seals... but I think the damage has already been done." Klenon said sadly. Ket, the squad's demolitions expert and Klenon's closest friend, walked over and grabbed Jak's hand.

"Come on, Jak! You can get through this! Just hold on!" Lota pleaded.

"Klenon, put some omni-gel on the punctures." Kal ordered. Klenon applied a large dosage, sealing most of the punctures.

"Jak, how are you holding up?" Klenon asked. Jak coughed violently, his grip on Ket's hand weakning.

" Horribly. Too many hits. Too many suit punctures. Hah, never thought some dirty slavers would get their paws on my life." Jak said in a raspy voice.

"They didn't Jak. You can make it." Lota cried. Jak shook his head in response.

"Ha-ha, no, they did. Sorry, Lota, but the bastards got me good." Jak replied. Lota looked down in grief.

"Lota, Ket, Klenon, you guys, tell my daughter and my _drema_ I love them." Jak asked. Everyone nodded except for Lota. His grip on Ket's hand was weakning by the second. Klenon looked at his visor and saw that his eyes were being drained of life.

"Keelah se'lai, my brother." Klenon whispered. Jak nodded and let go of Ket's hand. He took one last breath and exhaled for the final time. Klenon brought up his hand and made a circling motion with his fingers and made a line down the middle when it reached the top. A gesture meant to honor the dead.

"Come on, we have a mission to do." Kal said. Everyone got up except for Lota. She hadn't been this upset since the death of another one of their squadmates, Nolel.

"Lota, come one. We need to go." Gar said, putting a hand on Lota's shoulder. She stood up and walked away from the lifeless body. She never liked losing a close friend. That's why she joined the marines, to make sure that the same wouldn't happen to others. The squad stacked up against the wall. Klenon pulled out his Avenger sniper rifle while Reegar, on the other side of the door, pulled out his Banshee assault rifle. Klenon opened the door, revealing a lone slaver. Kal immediatly pelted him with slugs.

The shots alerted every other slaver in the large chamber. All of them started shooting at the door. Klenon went prone to make himself a smaller target and fired a round that hit a batarian straight in the head. He fired another that hit a slaver in the leg. Lota brought out her pistol and ended the injured slaver's life. Gar and Ket took out their shotguns and fired into the chamber aswell. Klenon fired a warp which hit a turin in the head, turning it into a bloody mess. Kal was shooting relentlessly until his rifle overheated. Klenon fired his rifle again, hitting an asari straight in the forehead. He got to his feet and ran into the room, sliding to a crate that gave him sufficient cover.

"Squad, give me some surpressing fire!" ordered Kal. Everyone started shooting at the closest slavers, killing two of them. Kal ran from the door and threw three tech mines. All of them hit the center of a group of slavers and exploded in the middle of them, killing them by the explosion and shrapnel. Kal slid to another set of crates on the opposite side of Klenon. Gar and Lota quickly followed their lead, both sliding to Kal's side. Ket soon followed, sliding to Klenon's side.

"Thanks for joining me. I felt left out." Klenon joked.

"I got your back, brother." Ket replied. The squad continued their firefight with the slavers, it went on longer than Klenon expected. Gar brought up his shotgun and shot a slaver at point-blank range. making one of the biggest messes Gar had seen in his military career. Lota continued firing her pistol, she always complained about how medics are only allowed to carry pistols but by using it so long she became an excellent marksman in their use. A slaver threw a tech mine right at Klenon and Ket's cover, almost destroying the crate they were hiding behind.

"We need better cover." Klenon mumbled. they were

"We need better guns." Ket replied. Klenon popped out from cover and shot a slaver in the chest. The impact sent the slaver flying into the air until he landed on a table. Klenon put away his sniper rifle and pulled out his assault rifle. It was a Tsunami IV, a little gift someone gave him on his pilgrimage.

"Why do you get the better stuff?" Ket complained.

"Because I got the better contacts." Klenon replied.

"That's not fair. I should've gone where you did on your pilgrimage." Ket said.

"Trust me, you don't." Klenon said. They continued to fire at their targets. One by one, they all died. The squad was one of the best the flotilla had. They were always sent on difficult assignments. Klenon sometimes regretted that he was good at killing people, it always ment that he would do harder work. _Well, atleast I'm not part of the Nanz'Qe _he thought. A shotgun slug hit their cover, taking Klenon out of his thoughts. He popped out of cover again and fired at the shooter, quickly ending his life. Klenon noticed that the slavers' numbers were thinning, there were only four left. Klenon instantly brought up his hand and let out a devastating throw field, pushing all the slavers into the wall at tremendous force. The squad took the opportunity and ran out of cover, shooting the incapacitated slavers. Ahead of them was another door. Gar opened up his omni-tool and reviewed the schematics on the base.

"This is it! Our quarians are behind this door." he shouted. The squad massed in front of the door, intent to bring them back safely. Gar began hacking the door and disarmed the lock. The door flew open and what was inside surprised everybody.

"There's...there's nothing." Gar stammered. The large chamber was completely empty with no sign of the quarians that once inhabited it.

"Are you sure this is the right room?" Kal questioned.

"Positive. We've checked every other room and this was the last one left." Gar answered, looking at the schematics again.

"Ancestors, where are our lost quarians." Ket said quietly. Klenon suddenly heard a groan from behind him. He turned around and saw a batarian bleeding from his stomach, injured but very much alive.

Klenon walked up to him and grabbed him by his frail neck.

"Where are the quarians!" Klenon shouted in a threatning tone.

"I-uh I don't know." the batarian quickly responded. Klenon pulled out his knife from his belt and held it dangerously close to the batarian's neck.

"So there's no reason to keep you alive then." Klenon said as he poked the slaver's neck with his knife.

"I'm telling the truth! Now let me go!" the batarian pleaded.

"You're not in a good position to be making demands, bosh'tet." Klenon said. He strated to cut the batarians neck, which made him shout words not found in the translator. Klenon continued his act, cutting the batarian in the throat but nowhere near anything vital. The batarian started to go into a panic, screaming and shouting in a demoralized tone. Klenon knew he was close to breaking if he was already panicking. Klenon turned around to face his squad.

"You guys might wanna turn around." Klenon warned. Ket and Lota complied while Kal and Gar continued to watch. All Ket and Lota could hear were yelps and whimpers emanating from behind them. They knew how passionate Klenon was about proctecting his people to the point where he would butcher anyone who threatened them. They then heard a series of screams and shouts, all of which were filled with agony.

"Okay, okay I'll talk! Just please stop! Please!" the batarian pleaded.

"I knew you had some sense in you. Talk. Now." Klenon said in a hateful tone.

"The quarians were shipped off yesterday. To one of our bases in Eletania. I have the coordinates. I'll give them to you, just please don't hurt me again." the batarian said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an OSD. Klenon grabbed it from his hand and punched the batarian in the face, knocking him out cold.

"We got what we need." Klenon said in his normal tone. He held up the OSD, which Kal grabbed and put into one of his numerous pockets. He looked down at the batarian. He was brutally beaten and several of his limbs were broken.

"What do we do with him?" Lota asked, pointing at the batarian.

"Leave him here. We can't take him with us." Kal answered.

"We need to get back to the fleet, tell them what we found." Gar said. Kal nodded in agreement and started towards the door, gesturing for the others to follow him. Most did. Klenon stayed behind and looked around him. Several bodies were strewn across the room. All of them threatned the fleet. His people were forced to live in a sterile enviroment, making their immune systems virtually non-existent. They had to suffer the cruelty, discrimnation, and rascism towards them, all because they made a mistake. It was as if the entire galaxy was supposed to be perfect, free from mistakes, and if you mess up, you were abandoned by everyone around you. Forced to live at the brink of extinction, only relying on yourself and luck to see another day. They didn't deserve this. Nobody does. They were once a proud race and now...now they are barely mentioned in a history lesson. Klenon always wished to live a better life. But that life seemed to always be out of reach. The only thing he had to look forward to was a family and retirement. And all the other races aren't content with that. Then these _bosh'tets_ thought they could make slaves out of his people and turn their lives into a living hell. He hated them. He hated every single person that discriminated, harassed, and kidnapped quarians. He knew there was nothing he could do about it, but it didn't change the way he felt. He wished that one day his people would return to their former glory.

"Hey Klenon, come on. We're leaving." Ket shouted from the opposite side of the room. Klenon looked in his direction and walked towards the exit.

The squad walked through the chamber where Jak's lifeless body laid. Kal walked over and picked him up. _No one gets left behind _he thought. The squad exited the slaver base, walking towards the lading pad in front of it. On the landing pad was their shuttle. It was a small, box-like shuttle, similar to the Kodiak shuttle Klenon once read about. The squad boarded their shuttle and Gar and Klenon walked up to the front. Gar sat in the pilot's seat while Klenon took the co-pilot's. He opened up his omni-tool to send the admiralty board a mission report when he saw that a message was already waiting for him. It was from his mentor, Han Gerrel. He opened it, curious about why he messanged him.

_To: Klenon'Lehto vas Onara_

_From: Han'Gerrel_

_Subject: Reassignment_

_Klenon,_

_The admiralty has a mission that could use your expertise. You are to be reassigned from your squad. You will return when your mission is complete. Since we cannot tell you the details in a message, you are to meet with Admiral Rael'Zorah on the Rayya so he can brief you on the mission._

_Keelah se'lai,_

_Han'Gerrel_

Klenon curious about what the mission was about. And why they would send only him. The fleet never sent one lone marine on a mission. He didn't want to think about it on the way back so he closed his omni-tool. He figured all his questions would be answered when he met with Admiral Zorah. He got into a somewhat comfortable position in his chair and tried to get some rest.

_I wonder what amazing mission is in store for me _he thought. The shuttle lifted from the ground and flew off from the moon, returning to the fleet.

**That was pretty fast writing huh? Please review and maybe I'll be able to dish out another chapter before the end of the week...with a little suprise in it. :)  
Also, before you ask, Klenon's rank, Verrunt, is the quarian version of a sergeant. One last thing, please tell me if the fight scenes are a little short or if its too gory. I'll clean it up if someone has a problem with it. That is all. Goodbye.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter three. I think its a longer chapter than the other ones. Though I keep getting the feeling that when I put this up, it's going to be way shorter than it looks. I also feel that the dialouge gets a tad repetitive. I going to respond to a review.**

**SergiusTheGreat: There is going to be a human-quarian pairing in the future. Though I don't want to say who's in it. Want it to be a suprise. Thanks for the review and here is your longer chapter...I think. **

Chapter 3: Home Sweet Home

"Klenon, wake up." Gar said gently pushing on Klenon's shoulder. He didn't respond. Gar started to tap on his visor.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty." Gar said, still having no idea why humans say that. Again, Klenon didn't respond.

"Try smacking him around." Ket suggested from the cabin. Gar almost instanly slapped Klenon across the visor. A pair of glowing eyes immediatly opened.

"Gahh! What the hell! You bosh'tet,why did you do that?" Klenon quickly questioned.

"Ket suggested it." Gar replied.

"Ket!" Klenon said, redirecting his fire to his friend.

"What? We used to do that to each other back at the Meraneste." Ket defended.

"Nooo, you did that." Klenon calrified.

"Enough of it. Gar how much longer until we reach the fleet?" Kal said.

"About half an hour." Gar answered.

"How long was I asleep?" Klenon asked.

"About ten minutes." Lota answered.

"And *why* did you wake me, Gar?" Klenon questioned, not being able to fathom any reason.

"You got a message on you omni-tool." Gar answered. Klenon opened his omni-tool and saw that Gar was telling the truth. Klenon groaned when he saw who sent it.

_From: Nanz-Qe HQ_

_To: Klenon'Lehto vas Onara_

_Subject: Induction_

"This is the fifth time they messanged me." Klenon sighed.

"If they want you to join them that badly then maybe you sould consider their offer." Gar suggested.

"No way, I know full well how they treat their recruits. You won't even recognize them after basic training." Klenon said, quickly shooting down Gar's suggestion.

"Besides, I'm more comfortable with you guys. All of the _Nanz-Qe_ are isolated in their own little world." he added.

"Sounds annoying." Ket commented.

"Only in the first few days, then its excruciating." Klenon added. He deleted the message and turned off his omni-tool.

"I'm going back to sleep. Ket, next time you slap me or if somone else does because of you, I'm sticking you hand in cold water when you sleep." Klenon warned. Ket laughed in response. He knew Klenon wasn't being serious, atleast he thinks he wasn't being serious.

"Good night, princess." Gar teased.

"Good night, pinkie." Klenon teased back.

"Hey, that's not cool!" Gar responded.

"Neither was your pilgrimage suit." Klenon said, drifting back to sleep.

"Was your suit pink?" Ket laughed.

"No!" Gar quickly dismissed.

"Pink is a nice color." Lota said in an attempt to make Gar feel better.

"Yeah, if you're a nurse." Ket laughed. Gar closed the door to the cabin.

"Aww, come on Gar! I was joking!" Ket said, but only sounded muffled from behind the door.

"Bosh'tet." Gar grumbled.

...

"Come on, Klenon. We're here." Kal said as he woke Klenon awake.

"We're at the flotilla?" Klenon said with a yawn, content that he didn't have another rude awakening.

"Yeah. Gar transmit our password to the Brento." Kal ordered. Gar was about to hit the communicator until Klenon interuppted him.

"Actually, Kal. If it's not too much trouble, could we go to the Rayya?" Klenon asked. Kal raised a brow.

"Why?" he asked. Klenon hesistated for a few seconds, unsure whether he should tell Kal of the message.

"I..um.. need to see a relative. She bears two children. I need to see if she's okay." he lied. Kal stared at him for a few seconds then back at Gar.

"Head to the Rayya. Klenon, you going to have to come back to the Brento on your own when your buisness at the Rayya is finished." Kal said. Klenon nodded. The shuttle made a sharp right, changing its course to the Rayya.

"So tell us about this relative of yours, Klenon." Kal asked. The question took Klenon by suprise. Not knowing how to answer, he just said what came off the top of his head.

"Well, um, her name is Kira... and... she is melded with a guy named Pef. She's uh... a bit of a pessimist but...uh..she...is always...pleasant." Klenon said, uncertainty obvious in his voice.

"Wait, she's a pessimist, but she's pleasant? How does that work?" Ket questioned.

"Lots of anit-depressants." Klenon quickly answered.

"Wouldn't anti-depressants harm the children?" Lota added.

"No. Its...okay for pregnant women." Klenon said, wanting the discussion to be over.

"We have anti-depressants? Why am I never told these kinds of things." Gar said to himself.

"So yeah. She's pregnant with two. She's on something that makes her happy and sad at the same time. We can drop it." Klenon said, ending the conversation. The entire squad was confused as to why Klenon wanted the discussion to be over. Eventually they all figured that it was something very personal. Ket and Lota went back to their own buisness Kal stared at Klenon for a while, he didn't buy a word out of his mouth, but whatever he was hiding had to be important. He turned back to Gar and gestured for him to activate the communicator. Gar reached over to the comms button and activated the channel. He quickly scrolled through the radio and found the Rayya's frequency.

"This is Gar'Ioren vas Refren nar Huinio, requesting permission to dock with the Rayya." he said. There was a short period of silence until the comm crackled to life.

"Verify." a quarian said on the other side of the line.

"After time adrift among open stars, along tides of light and through shoals of dust, I will return to where I began." Gar said. There was a brief silence until the quarian on the other end spoke.

"Permission granted. Is your ship clean?" the quarian asked.

"Yes it is. We're just marines retuning from duty." Gar explained.

"Understood, approach exterior docking cradle thirteen." the quarian said. Cutting the line after his sentence. Klenon got up from his chair and walked into the cabin. The shuttle shook slightly as it docked with the Rayya. The cabin made a hissing sound, which was heard throughout the shuttle. The door on the side of the shuttle opened smoothly, revealing a small hallway. Klenon turned back to his squad.

"I'll see you guys later." he said. Ket and Lota both waved their hands. Klenon stepped out of the shuttle and walked down the hallway. Behind him he could hear the shuttle's door closing. The hallway was more crowded than the Onara's. There were large groups of quarians, all conversing among themselves. Several others were staring out the windows, reminiscing about past events and memories. Others were walking down the hall, heading to their homes or workstations. The Rayya was more peaceful than any other place Klenon had to go to on his assignments. He suddenly stopped at the middle of the hallway. He barely realized something, he had never been on the Rayya before. He had no idea where to go or even where to meet the admiral. He looked around the hallway as if the answer was there.

After a while he just kept walking down the hallway. He reached an intersection, randomly guessing, he walked to the hallway to the left. He reached a couple of stairs and ascended them. At the top of the stairs was a door, walking through it he saw a large plaza. The walls were covered with different plants and there was writing at the top of the them. In the center of the plaza was an area that was probably used for meetings.

Klenon walked down the path that led to the area. there was grass on both sides of the pathway. A sort of gas being vented to them that emanated from the vents on the the path he was walking on. He reached the large area. Bleachers were lined up from each side. and podiums in the center. Klenon walked down the small flight of stairs. Reaching the bottom, he walked over to one of the bleachers on the left. He sat down and continued to admire the flora in the plaza. This must have been the garden plaza of the Rayya. Klenon had heard about it when he was on the Onara. Quarians came here to converse and admire what little plants they had. He had to admit, it was an amazing sight. Klenon took out his assault rifle and a rag that was in a pocket on his arm. He began to clean his rifle, waiting for Admiral Zorah to arrive.

_I wonder what the admirals want me to do. It sounds important if they're sending only me. Heh, they probably want to send me on some dangerous mission to save the galaxy from some unknown force that can destroy all organic life. Wait, no, that'd be too hard. One person, no matter how strong, wise, or smart, can take down an unstoppable force like that _Klenon thought. He put away his assault rifle and unsheathed his knife. He began sharpening it with a piece of metal that he took out from a pocket on his chest. He looked to his right and saw a group a quarians at the top of the stairs. From their body language, he could tell they were nervous, with a hint of anxiety.

_Must be going on their pilgrimage. I remember when I was like that, all shriveling up in fear and stuff. Then you come back and realize that the flotilla isn't so bad after all. _he thought. He continued to sharpen his knife. After a few minutes, a shadow floated over Klenon.

"Klenon'Lehto." the voice said. He looked up and saw that it was Admiral Zorah. Klenon immediatly sheathed his knife and stood up, saluting him.

"Admiral Zorah, sir!" Klenon said formally.

"At ease, marine." Rael responded, holding his hand up.

"I assume you are here to give me details about the mission I was messanged about?" Klenon said, relaxing his posture.

"Yes. This mission is of the utmost importance to the fleet. More so than any other." Rael responded.

"Admiral, if I may ask, why is Han'Gerrel not giving me this?" Klenon asked.

"Han is attending to some buisness at the Neema. Since I was already here, I have volunteered to give you the briefing." Rael explained.

"Okay. So what's the mission?" Klenon said, getting back to buisness.

"We recieved a distress call from a quarian on her pilgrimage. Her name is Arenia'Sare nar Qwib Qwib." Rael began.

_He-he, Qwib-Qwib. _Klenon thought.

"Admiral, with all due respect, I'd rather be looking for those quarians with my squad." Klenon said with more defiance in his voice than he intended.

"I know marine. But this is more important." Rael said in a stern tone.

_More important than a ship load of kidnapped quarians? _Klenon thought.

"She apparently has information about the geth." Rael continued. Klenon's body immediatly stiffened.

_How did she get information about the geth? _he asked himself.

"G-Geth? How did she get information about the geth?" Klenon asked.

"I do not know, marine, but she has it. And it is important that you rescue her and bring her back here safely." Rael ordered.

"Yes sir. Where should I start?" Klenon asked.

"The distress signal we recieved was barely comprehendable. When we recieved it, it was little more than static. There was only one location we could make out. The Citadel. That is where you should start your search." Rael answered.

_In other words, bigot's central. _Klenon thought.

"I'll get my things together and leave as soon as I can sir." he said.

"Excellent. One last thing, you should not tell anyone of your mission. It should stay as a closely guarded secret. Under no circumstances should you ever-" Rael started until he was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Father!" Tali said from behind Rael.

"Tali, if you would be so kind as to step aside so I can finish speaking to this young man." Rael said. Tali hesitated for a few seconds, slightly hurt, then stepped backwards away from the two. Rael turned back to Klenon, cleared his throat, and resumed speaking.

"Under no circumstances should you ever tell anyone about your mission." Rael finished.

"I...understand, sir." _That was a little harsh. Just telling your own daughter to back off._ Klenon thought.

"Very good. You know what's at stake. The entire flotilla's survival may be riding on your shoulders. Good luck, Klenon." Rael said. He turned around and motioned for Tali to come back. Klenon sat back down and continued to sharpen his knife. Rael and Tali began to talk but Klenon couldn't hear them since he was distacted sharpening his knife. He lost all track of time, busy pondering his mission. A figure suddenly approached him.

"So, what were you and my father talking about?" Tali asked. Klenon looked up at her and noticed that Rael was already gone. He was about to answer her when Rael's words came into his mind.

_Under no circumstances_

"Nothing serious. Just some debriefing." Klenon answered.

"The whole 'under no circumstances' thing made it sound pretty serious." Tali replied.

_Damn, smart girl. _he thought.

"Well what was he talking to you about?" Klenon said in an attempt to change the subject.

"The usual. Telling me what is expected of me when I go off to my pilgrimage." Tali said rather sadly while she sat down next to him. She knew Klenon was avoiding the question, but it might be better to leave it alone...for now.

"You're going on your pilgrimage today?" Klenon asked, putting his knife down.

"Yes, I'm so excited. I can't wait to go out there and see what's waiting for me." Tali said enthusiastically. Klenon chuckled at her upbeat mood.

_Isn't it going to be a shock for her when she finds out what its like out there._ Klenon thought.

"If you're leaving today, why isn't your father here to see you off?" he asked. Tali's mood instantly evaporated.

"He had some work to do. He's always busy." she said in a somber tone.

"I''m sure he'd be here if he had the time." Klenon said in an attempt to comfort her.

"Yes, he would." she replied quietly. There was a period of silence between them until Tali asked a question.

"So, what's your name?"

"Klenon. Klenon'Lehto vas Onara at your service, Tali." he replied with a nod.

"Wait, I've heard of you. You're the quarian with biotics. It must be amazing to have powers like that!" Tali said in wonderment. Klenon smiled, amused about how amazed Tali was about his biotics.

"Trust me, its not that great. A lot of people don't really trust me with these biotics. Anyway, where are you heading on your pilgrimage?" Klenon asked. Tali thought for a moment then said the first location on her mind.

"I'm not sure. Maybe Omega?" Tali suggested.

"Woah, bad move, Tals." Klenon said, already giving Tali a nickname.

"Omega is one of the roughest places in the galaxy and quarians don't exactly fare well there." he warned.

"Well then what would you suggest?" Tali questioned, thinking it would be a smart idea to ask advice from someone who already went on their pilgrimage. Klenon thought for a moment until an idea came into his mind.

"If I were you, I'd try Thessia. Nice place. Could be good work for you." he said. Deep down though, he knew that Thessia was full of asari older than 300 years. They would remember what a proud race the quarians once were so the racism wouldn't be so bad. He didn't want her spirit to be crushed.

"Okay. That seems like a good place to start. Thanks Klenon." Tali said. There was another moment of silence until Klenon opened his omni-tool and saw the time.

"I need to go back to my ship, Tali. Good luck, on your pilgrimage." He said as he got up.

"Oh, okay. Goodbye Klenon." Tali said as she got up too.

"Take care of yourself. I'm sure your father wouldn't want to see you hurt." Klenon said. Tali gave a quick laugh.

"I know how to take care of myself. Don't worry about me." Tali dismissed. She began to walk away. Klenon watched her walk off. She was inexperienced and slightly naive person. Klenon quickly made a decision and walked after Tali.

"Tali, wait up." Klenon called. Tali turned around when she reached the top of the stairs.

"Yes?" she said, curious as to what Klenon wanted.

"I want to give you this." Klenon said as he reached onto his belt and pulled off his knife and sheath. He held it out to Tali, wanting her to take it. Tali looked at the knife, unsure about taking it. She was sure she wouldn't be in danger, but then again... she could be wrong. She looked back at Klenon, not knowing if she wanted to take it or not.

"Just in case." Klenon encouraged. He wanted her to take it to protect herself. The galaxy wasn't going to get any safer. Tali stared at it for a while longer than took it from Klenon's hand.

"Just in case." Tali repeated. She bent down and strapped the knife and sheath onto her left shin.

"Thank you." Tali thanked. She turned back around and continued walking towards the exit of the garden plaza. Klenon stood there for a while longer, watching her until she was out of view. Klenon walked down the path he came through, heading to a shuttle to take him to the Onara.

_Only knew her for a few minutes and she's already growing on me. Hopefully that will benefit her out there. Be safe, Tali. Hopefully you won't run into too much trouble out there._

...

Klenon sat on his bed. He was in his room on the Onara. It was a little more spacious than other ships so Klenon didn't have to share his room. It was the night-cycle in the ship so all the lights were turned off. Klenon wasn't tired, he was anxious about the mission. Saving a quarian who has info about the geth. He might be the vanguard to his peoples' reclamation of their homeworld. He coontinued to look down at the floor, pondering over the events of the day. He looked at his nightstand. There was a holo of his parents and another of his squad, his closest friends. He then looked out the window next to his bed, out in the void of space. Everytime he looked out there he thought of her. What happened three years ago. Something that has haunted him for a long time. He still felt guilt after all this time. Inside, he felt as if everyone blamed him for what happened. And he didn't disagree with them.

_Kal, how much longer till the rendevous?_

_Thirty minutes. Just make sure you're there when we get outta here._

_Klenon, we need to get outta here._

_Got it. What about everyone else?_

_Charlie and Alpha are already en route to the extraction point. We're the one's farthest from the rally point, so we should move._

_Good, don't wanna lose anybody. This mission has been going smoothly._

_..._

_Kal, we're pinned down! How much longer till the fighters get here?_

_You have two minutes! I can't stall the fleet for long._

_Damn it! Klenon, flank those stragglers!_

_..._

_You're too late! They're raining fire on the ship!_

_Just wait a little longer, Kal! We'll be there!_

_Klenon, move your ass. We gotta get out of here now!_

_..._

_Hold on! You're not going to die on me._

_I'm not going to make it either way!_

_Don't let go of my hand! You not going to die out there!_

_I'm dead weight, Klenon. You're not going to make it if you're dragging me._

_We can both make it!_

_No, we can't. I'm sorry. _

_Nooooo!_

Klenon tried to repress the memory. But he couldn't. It was going to be something that was a burden to his mind for the rest of his life. He shook his head as if it would take the memory out of his head. He laid down on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. He silently wished he would redeem himself for what happened. He closed his eyes, tomorrow he was going to leave the flotilla and begin his search. Maybe he would redeem himself in this mission. Maybe then he would feel better.

**Well, there's chapter 3. Thought it would be nice to have a squadmate from Mass Effect be in this chapter. Like the little mystery of Klenon's past I put in there? Thought he needed a little more depth in his character.**

**In other news: I am sorry to annouce that this will be the last chapter of the year. So consider this your Christmas, Kwanza, and Hanukkah present. I have to focus my attention on some other work. And even when that work is finished, I'm going on vaction to a place that has a very distinct lack of internet. But when I get back, I'll start working immediatly on chapter 4. So I'll see you guys in the new year. Goodbye, good luck, godspeed, and may the force be with you. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Happy new year guys and gals! Hope you don't have monster hangovers or 3rd degree burns. Please review, I'd appreciate it. This is my first chapter with language in it, and not the good kind, so heads up for that. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4: Trouble Never Sleeps

Klenon looked outside the window next to him. He was on a public shuttle bound for the Citadel. He decided to try a more discreet approach to the Citadel. He knew he would look suspicious if he came here with his own ship, plus the fleet couldn't afford to give him one. He was currently trying to come up with excuses for the inevitable questioning C-Sec would give him. It would take more than a miracle for him or any quarian to be exempted from an interrogation. He was planning on getting a little bit more rest since he didn't sleep so well last night, until a big krogan sat next to him. Klenon didn't have much experience dealing with krogan, but he knew enough to keep his distance from them. He was, however, able to take a few quick glances at him.

The krogan wore dull red armor, that was chipped in numerous places. The krogan also had red eyes and a red plate. The most striking features the krogan had was the large scar he had on the right side of his face that ran from the top of his plate to the bottom of his chin.

_Must be a mercenary, I'm not suprised._ Klenon thought. He looked outside the window again and began to think about his squad. He wondered what the admiralty board told them. What kind of excuse they made for his absence. While lying wasn't exactly a good deed, he still trusted the admiralty board and their decisions. They managed to keep the flotilla running for 300 years. Most governments Klenon heard of were corrupted or had a set of twisted goals or ideals. He took pride in being part of a government that didn't stab someone in the back. Klenon suddenly felt a small pressure in his stomach. He had to go to the bathroom. He activated one of his suit's functions and saw a rather large inconvinience. His container was full.

_Nalt. _He cursed in his mind. Unless he wanted to arrive to the Citadel without a shred of dignity, he had to empty the container. There was only one problem: the krogan. Klenon was unsure if he should ask the krogan to move over. The slightest bit of discomfort can set off a ticking time bomb when it came to krogans. After taking time to think things over, Klenon hesitantly spoke.

"Um... hey, could you scoot over for a sec?" he asked in a quiet voice. The krogan quickly faced Klenon, annoyance in his eyes. Klenon had feeling that he was about to end up on the floor with a krogan boot on his chest. If worse comes to worse, however, he wouldn't hesitate to use his biotics. Surprisingly, the krogan responded to Klenon's request.

"Thanks." he said whispered. The krogan grumbled something but Klenon couldn't hear it. He tried to get out of the row as fast as possible to get out of the rather awkward moment. The shuttle was very much like a human airplane. Three colums with three seats in each row. The bathroom was on the level below them. Klenon biskly walked down the hall, hearing a multitude of conversations. Most were about him, which was no surprise.

_Mommy, what is that?_

_Sucks to be quarian, that's for sure._

_I dare you to puncture his suit_

_I thought they didn't allow animals on the shuttle._

_Great, we have to share the shuttle with a filthy quarian!_

_I'm pretty sure if they were filthy, they'd be dead, Jim._

_Shut up, Mike._

Klenon reached the stairs later than he liked, he walked down the flight of stairs; hoping that the bathroom wasn't occupied. Reaching the bottom, he saw the bathroom on his right, luckily it wasn't taken. He opened the door and entered. After closing and locking it, a decontamination cycle activated; a saftey measure to ensure that people wouldn't catch a diesease from another species.

While the bathroom was decontaminating itself, Klenon took off his helmet to make himself more comfortable and looked into the mirror. It was always rare when he'd be able to look at himself; to see his face. He brought up his hand and gently traced the scar that ran across his right cheek. He got it on his pilgrimage. A random thug thought it would be fun to harass him. Big mistake. Klenon almost made it out of the fight unscathed, until one of the attacker's friends came up behind him and smashed his visor into a wall. A large shard of glass ripped into Klenon's cheek deep enough so that it would create the scar. He managed to get out of the situation with only a moderate infection.

Klenon enjoyed the feeling of something touching his skin, even if it was just his suit. It felt like a subtle sensation, rippling across his face. Remembering that he was there for a reason, he stopped the enjoyable act and began disassembling his suit. He never did like this job, and for obvious reasons. While working on the mundane task, something unexpected happen. Klenon was completely oblivious as to what happened outside the bathroom.

...

"Everyone get the hell down NOW!" a human hijacker yelled as he got up from his seat and pulled out a pistol. An asari and turian stood up aswell, both wielding shotguns and aimed them threatningly at the others passengers. Bystanders started to scream and panic. Children were held behind their mothers.

"Brena, Kreven, go downstairs and signal everyone else." the human ordered. The two obeyed and walked down the stairs. The human raised his pistol and aimed it at several passengers, just daring them to try something.

"None of you fucking move." he warned with an icy stare. Several people whimpered in response, trying to hide in their seats.

...

Brena and Kreven ran down to the third deck, holding their guns in the air and shouting their death threats. As soon as they arrived, several more people stood up, three turians and a salarian, and brandished their own weapons.

The krogan who sat next to Klenon knew that something was going to go wrong. Its a good thing he brought his shotgun.

"They're about to get a little suprise. Hehehe." Wrex chuckled.

...

Klenon exited the bathroom, closing the door behind him. After he was done with his buisness he noticed that the shuttle came to a stop. He figured it was because they had reached the Citadel, but something was off. There was always a conversation going on in a public shuttle, but now it was eerily quiet.

_Guess everyone got out. _he thought to himself. He looked down the small hallway to his right, at the door that led to the shuttle's cargo hold. He walked up to the door and peered through the window. All the lugagge was still there; untouched. Klenon started to get the feeling that something was very wrong. Before he was able to put the pieces of the puzzle together, he felt a small object press against the back of his helmet.

"Don't you move." A gruff voice said. Klenon sighed, finally realizing the shuttle was hijacked.

"Hey Jones, I got a qua-" he never got to finish his sentence. Klenon instantly grabbed his arm and twisted it, dropping the pistol on the floor. The man yelped in pain, trying to squirm out of Klenon's grip. Klenon grabbed his arm with both hands and flipped him over his shoulder. The man landed flat on his back; his breath was knocked out of him. Klenon put his foot on the man's neck and continued twisting his arm.

"Gah-fuck, Let me go you dog!" the human said with a strained voice. It was obvious to Klenon that he was choking the man. He applied more pressure to his neck, practically strangling him. The man continued to try to find a way to get Klenon off of him, but he was running out of air. In a desperate attempt, the man started to weakly punch Klenon's leg. Each 'punch' was weaker than the last. The man's face started to turn red and his struggling was waning by the second. The man gave one last look at Klenon, but all that was in his eyes was his life fading. Klenon took pity on him and quickly snapped his neck with his foot, killing him. Klenon let go of his arm, letting it fall on the floor. Klenon stared at the lifeless corpse in front of him, a man who probably had no other option than crime. There was a saying among his people: A man who resorts to crime is better off dead.

"Keelah se'lai." Klenon whispered. Suddenly, there was a sound of someone cocking a shotgun. Klenon slowly turned around and saw an asari aiming her shotgun right at his chest. He closed his eyes, awaiting the fatal shot. He couldn't believe that this was how it was going to end. He was going to be killed by a criminal in a public shuttle. It was an ignoble end. Even worse, he failed his mission before he even started it. There was suddenly a loud bang. A shotgun shell was fired. But Klenon didn't feel dead. He didn't feel anything. He opened his eyes and saw that the asari dropped her shotgun and there was a hole in her stomach. The asari fell on her knees and toppled over; dead. Klenon looked up; behind the asari was the krogan that sat next to him. The krogan bent down and grabbed the shotgun. He tossed it to Klenon, who grabbed it by the barrel and began to look it over.

"Can you fight, quarian?" Wrex asked impatiently. Klenon quickly nodded.

"Good." Wrex said. He started up the stairs, leaving Klenon behind. It took him a moment to realize that he was saved by a krogan. It was surprising to say the least.

"Watch your own ass. 'Cause I won't." Wrex warned. Klenon was taken aback by the sudden hostility, but then he remebered who he was talking about. The two reached the top of the stairs and were immediatly fired upon by the hijackers. Passengers panicked, praying to their gods that they would get through this ordeal. Klenon dove behind some seats for cover while Wrex just flat out started shooting. Klenon was about to fire when he came to a realization. His shotgun would be a godsend in a closed quarters enviroment. But if he used his shotgun, the spread would probably hurt an innocent. Klenon reluctantly put away his shotgun and took out his pistol. He popped out and fired twice both hitting their mark. Wrex fired relentlessly with his assault rifle. One of the hijacker's shields dropped and he immediatly started running away. Klenon, noticing this, ran out of his cover and after the hijacker.

The hijacker, a turian, ran down the rows, calling for help, but Klenon was right on his tail. Before the turian could reach the stairs, Klenon jumped on him and the turian fell on his face. Klenon took out his pistol and shot him point-blank in the back of the head. He rose to his feet and turned around to see Wrex charging at the last hijacker. Wrex tackled him to the ground and gave a ferocious punch to the head. All Klenon heard was a sickening crack. He jogged back to Wrex who was standing triumphantly above the dead hijacker. Wrex looked up at Klenon then grabbed him and threw him over the seats.

Klenon landed on his back on the other side of the seats. He was suprised that Wrex attacked him. He looked up, about to shout at Wrex for doing that. But what he saw shut his mouth. Wrex had already pulled out his assault rifle and began firing at the opposite end on the cabin. more hijackers entered the cabin; about three of them from Klenon's view. He got to his feet and fired three rounds, killing on of the hijackers instantly. One of the hijackers grabbed a bystander and was effectively using him as a human shield. Klenon cursed at his luck. He was never trained for hostage situations. He looked over to Wrex and hoped he had an idea that didn't involve shooting the hostage. Unfortunately, Wrex was taking cover behind the seats.

Klenon tried to formulate a plan in his head. It wouldn't be long until the hijacker ended the hostage's life. It had only taken him a few seconds. Klenon stood up on his feet and used his biotics to pull the hostage from the hijacker's grasp. Now that he was vulnerable, Wrex used throw and knocked him into his friend. Klenon jumoed over the rows and and grabbed one of the hijackers by the throat. Wrex walked past him, to the other hijacker. Klenon, once again, shot the hijacker at point-blank. Wrex grabbed the other hijacker by the collar and threw him at the wall with progidous force. Klenon looked around and noticed that the hostage that he used the pull on had landed safely on the floor. Now that the hijackers were dead, Wrex and Klenon continued towards the stairs up to the first-class floor.

The two reached the top the stairs, and they took out their weapons when they saw that there were two asari and one of them held another hostage; a turian.

"Let him go now!" Klenon demanded, already aiming at the asari's head.

"No." one of the asari said flatly. "Drop your gun first."

The last thing Klenon wanted to do was negotiate with terrorists, but he took an oath to protect all innocents; even if they weren't one of his own race. Besides, he had a fallback plan. Klenon looked to his right, to Wrex, and saw that the krogan had an irritated look on his face. His body language showed that he was getting impatient about the stand-off. Klenon looked back at the asari and dropped his pistol. He then observed the room around him. The first-class floor was rather small by Klenon's expectations, only ten feet by eleven feet. There were couches against the walls and several plants decorated the room. He then looked back at the asari and noticed she had a look of annoyance in her face.

"BOTH of them." the asari said, referring to Klenon's shotgun. He reached for the gun and took it off his lower back. He held it in front of the asari and dropped it aswell. The asari then pointed their guns at Wrex, who was clearly not going to give up his gun. Wrex stred back at them with a death stare, just daring one of them to tell him to drop his gun. Klenon cautiously walked next to Wrex; he was going to attempt to talk Wrex into playing along.

"We got to save that hostage. Drop the gun. I have an idea, but I need you to cooperate." Klenon whispered. Wrex stayed silent which worried Klenon. Finally, Wrex grunted, which Klenon took as a 'yes'. Wrex threw his assault rifle down along with his shotgun. Klenon walked away from Wrex and held his hands out.

"There. We did what you asked. Now let him go." Klenon said. The asari that held the turian gave a devilish grin.

"I can't believe idiots like you listen to us." the asari said as she pointed her pistol at the back of the turian's head.

"No-no no no. Please don't! Please dont!" the turian pleaded.

"Sorry. You were at the wrong place at the wrong time." the asari said mischievously. The turian started to tremble, fearing his imminent death. The asari was suddenly thrown into the air, letting go of the turian. The other asari was immediatly tackled by Wrex. Klenon chased after the trio. The asari he threw got back on her her feet and was immediatly punched by Klenon. He then kneed her in the stomach and gave a powerful uppercut, launching her head into the air. Taking the opportunity Klenon kicked her in the stomach, launching her backwards; onto her back. Klenon briskly walked towards her. The asari quickly recovered and wrapped her feet around Klenon's ankle. She pulled her feet back, causing Klenon to fall onto the floor. She got on top of him and started to deliver vicious punches. Klenon held his arms in front of his visor, blocking every blow. The asari reeled her arm back, about to deliver a powerful punch. Klenon waited for the right moment and grabbed her fist. Klenon delivered his own puch and threw her off of him. The asari rolled to her feet and used throw on Klenon, propelling him to a wall. The asari tried to reach for her pistol on the floor. Before she was able to grab it, a large hand got to it first. She looked up and saw Wrex's grinning face. She looked to her right and saw that her friend was on the floor, dead or knocked out. She looked back only to get head-butted by Wrex. The blow caused blood to stream out of her nose. She fell onto her back again and tried to get back up. Wrex casually walked over to her and put his boot on her chest.

"You're soft. Like everyone else in your species." Wrex chuckled. The asari tried the squirm out from below Wrex's boot, but he was too strong. Wrex was about to crush her with his boot, ending her life. He was suddenly jumped on by the other asari. She clawed at Wrex's eyes, hoping to blind him. Wrex grabbed her off his back and threw her off, hitting the ground hard. Wrex looked back down at the floor only to be launched a few feet into the air by the other asari. The two terrorists got to their feet, one of them going after Wrex while the other grabbed the pistol on the floor. She picked it up and walked towards Klenon who was still on the floor, holding himself up by his arms. She aimed it and Klenon and smiled her familiar devilish grin.

"You're dead, quarian. Just like the rest of your kind. You were better off wasting your life on that cesspit you call home." she taunted. Anger began to boil within Klenon. If there was one thing that would make him murder anyone it would be insulting his people. He began to focus all of his energy and charged one last biotic attack. The asari stood there, oblivious to Klenon's action. She was then attacked by an unexpected ally, the turian. He grabbed the pistol and held it up in the air, causing the asari to shoot the ceiling. The asari and turian wrestled for control of the gun. Shots were being fired during their struggle. Klenon began to glow the the blue aura of his biotics. He got up to his feet and waited for the asari's back to be towards him. Once the opportunity presented itself, Klenon quickly grabbed her from behind and wrapped his arm around her neck and grabbed her arm with the other. The turian quickly backed away from the two.

"Don't start insulting people unless you're sure that you're going to live. Too bad its going to be a mistake you won't be able to regret." Klenon said in a hateful tone. The two suddenly started to glow into a bright blue. The intensity of the light grew after each passing second. The asari started to scream in pain. She desperately tried to free herself, but the pain was too great to resist. She screamed louder, at the top of her lungs. Klenon started to feel tired but kept applying his strength into this power. The asari's resistance slowly stopped and her body went limp. The glow also slowly dissipated. Klenon let go of the now dead asari, who had numerous bloody wounds on her face and body. Klenon fell to his knees and was breathing heavily. The biotic attack had taken a lot out of him.

"What. The hell. Was that?" the turian said in a mix of awe and slight fear. Klenon looked up then back at the floor.

"Its-its a form of the Warp biotic attack. Instead of shooting it, it radiates off the person. I just ripped that asari apart, molecule by molecule, until she-she died." Klenon said in a weary tone. "It takes a lot outta me. I don't think I'll be able to use my biotics anytime soon."

"It doesn't matter. I've dealt with the other asari." Wrex grunted pointing at the dead asari on the floor while walking over to Klenon.

"Right. Let's deal with anyone else that is still alive." Klenon muttered. He go up to his feet and walked towards the entrance to the bridge. The door was locked. Klenon expected as much. He brought up his omni-tool and began to hack into the door control. Wrex grabbed his guns off the floor and put them in their appropriate spots on his back. He grabbed Klenon's shotgun and pistol aswell. Klenon successfully unlocked the door and took cover next it. Wrex threw Klenon's pistol which he caught and put onto his belt. Wrex then threw his shotgun and Klenon also caught it. The two stacked up against the door, ready to fight anything that was behind the door.

"You may wanna get out of here. Its safer down in the lower cabins." Klenon said to the turian. He agreed and began his descent into the lower floors. Once the turian was gone, Klenon opened the door and was immediatly shot at by one last hijacker. A human with a sort of hologram enveloping his body.

"Tech armor." Wrex mumbled.

"What?" Klenon said, unfamiliar with this piece of technology.

"Its like armor but deployable at any given time. Pretty rare around these parts." Wrex explained. He began to shoot slug after slug at the human with his shotgun. Klenon quickly followed suite. The human took cover behind a nearby wall and threw a tech mine. Wrex quickly got out of its way and continued to fire his shotgun. Klenon tried to form a Warp in his hand, but his earlier attack had almost depleted his energy. Instead he grabbed one of his own tech mines from his belt and threw it at the human. The tech mine had landed right behind the human, on the back of the co-pilot's seat. The human rolled out of the mine's blast, making it to the other wall on the other side of the bridge. Klenon and Wrex both hid behind there cover again. There was a pause in their firefight, neither side had fired a shot or thrown a tech mine.

"Why do this? Even if you do manage to take control of this shuttle, C-Sec will just come in here and kill you." Klenon reasoned.

"Why do this? Hah. Because I have to. There are things that you can never understand. Reasons that you can not comprehend. We are working for the good of the galaxy." the human responded.

"I'm pretty sure hijacking a public shuttle and taking innocents hostage doesn't benefit the galaxy."

"Then you're a fool. The galaxy is overpopulated, and its causing more and more chaos. We're just moderators, keeping the population in check. Population causes differences, differences causes fights, fights causes war. Ending a few lives to save a thousand more is a necessary sacrifice." the human justified.

"And how are you so sure of that?" Klenon questioned.

"Because we can't fight our nature. Its written in our genes. Trying to stop something you are is like trying to stop grass from growing." the human answered. Klenon could tell the human was commited to his vause, but he was determined to reason with him. Wrex, however, didn't think the same. He popped out of cover and fired his shotgun, hitting the human square in the chest. The tech armor, however, absorbed the the damage.

"You see what happens when you become a criminal? You can make it out of this alive! Just lay down your gun and we won't shoot." Klenon once again tried to reason.

"You think I'm a criminal?" the human laughed.

"Then what are you?" Klenon asked.

"A moderator. I told you." the human repeated.

"Where are the pilots? Did you kill them?" Klenon said, changing the subject.

"Yes. They didn't agree to my demands. We had to relieve them of their positions." the human said.

"Look, freedom isn't possible now, but if you surrender, you can get out of here alive!" Klenon said.

"No. I have orders. And I'm going to follow them. And If you continue to get in my way, I will kill you." the human threatened. Klenon quietly sighed. He finally gave up on trying to get the human to surrender. Then he realized what the human said in the beginnning.

"Wait, what do you mean 'orders'?" Klenon questioned. The human fired his rifle in response. Klenon and Wrex fired back.

"Let's just kill him now. There's no use talking to him." Wrex said. Klenon looked briefly looked at Wrex, pondering over the decision. He looked back at the hiding human then at the floor.

"Well, I can't convince him. And we need to keep the passengers safe. Go ahead, I'm not going to do it." Klenon reluctantly agreed. Wrex grunted and put away his shotgun and got into a crouching position. He charged into the bridge and slapped the assault rifle out of the human's hand. Wrex grabbed the human by the neck and pinned him to the wall.

"Ah, do you think killing me will stop our mission? Killing me is not even a minor inconvienience. No one can stop what is to come!" the human strained. Wrex's grip on the human's neck tightnened.

"Guess what. I don't care." Wrex retorted. He put all his strength into his grip and heard a loud snap. The human's body immediatly went limp. Wrex threw the body onto the floor and nodded at Klenon. Klenon turned in the direction of the stairs and was suprised to see two more hijackers.

"Oh, Keelah." Klenon groaned. He ran into the bridge before he was shot, and pulled out his shotgun. He quickly returned fire, shooting blindly around the corner. Wrex soon accompanied him, wielding his assault rifle. Klenon finally aimed down his sights and fired, hitting one of the hijackers in the arm. The wounded man rolled behind a couch and continued to fire. The other hijacker soon followed his friend.

"They might be the last ones." Klenon speculated. Wrex merely grunted. Klenon kept firing at the couch, hoping that one of the shots would penetrate through and hit one of the men. Eventually, blood flew into the air on the left side of the couch. Not hearing a sound, Klenon assumed that he killed one of them. The wounded hijacker suddenly sprang up and held up both of his arms.

"Okay, Okay, You win! I surrender, just don't shoot me!" the hijacker said. Klenon cautiously walked over to the human with his shotgun leveled. He hit the hijacker in the face with the butt of the gun, knocking the hijacker out cold.

"That was...easy." Klenon commented.

"Maybe that's why." Wrex responded as he pointed out a window next to the couch. Klenon walked over and peered through the window. It was obvious now why the hijacker surrendered. There were over a dozen C-Sec ships surrounding the shuttle.

"Looks like the calvary has arrived." Klenon commented. He walked away from the window, grabbed the hijacker, and hoisted him oonto his shoulder. Klenon began his slow trek down the stairs.

"You coming?" Klenon asked looking back at Wrex.

"I'd rather not. I'm staying here for a while. You, however, need to start running." Wrex replied. Klenon was unsure about what Wrex meant but it didn't bother him. Klenon shrugged then resumed walking down the stairs.

...

Klenon reached the second level, where the passengers would exit the shuttle. Inside, he saw three C-Sec officers escorting passengers off the shuttle. When they were gone, an officer, a human, turned to Klenon's direction and immediatly pulled out his taser.

"Get on the ground!" the officer yelled. Klenon quietly groaned.

"Is that how you treat all your visitors?" Klenon asked.

"Let go of the hostage and lie on your stomach!" the officer ordered. Klenon looked at the other two officers and saw that they were minding their own buisness.

_Ahh great. Leave me to deal with this racist bosh'tet _he thought. He let go of the incapacitated hijacker and let him fall to the floor.

"There, you happy?" Klenon asked even though he already knew the answer.

"GET ON THE GROUND!" the officer shouted like a drill sergeant. Klenon sighed and reluctantly obliged. The officer quickly walked over to him and placed cuffs on his wirst.

"You have the right to re-" the officer started.

"I know my rights." Klenon said curtly.

_Or lack of_ he thought. The cop brought Klenon to his feet and slapped the back of his helmet.

"Do not speak unless spoken to!" the officer ordered. Klenon shook his head.

_What a nice welcome party_

...

Klenon sat in a small room with a lamp on a table in front of him. He was patiently waiting for an officer to come through the doors and question him about every aspect of his life. Klenon quietly tapped his fingers on the table, mimicking a song he once heard. He was about to close his eyes until the door in front of him opened. A turian in a C-Sec uniform walked calmly inside and sat in the chair across from him. The turian wore a Kuwashi visor and had blue facial markings that ran from his mandible, across his face, to his other mandible. He opened his omni-tool and began typing some unknown text. After a while he turned it off and placed his hands on the table.

"How are you feeling?" the turian asked. Klenon quietly scoffed

_As if he cared_

"Well I was just brought in by a rascist officer because I helped rescue a shuttle filled with pedestrians. How do you think I feel?" Klenon snapped. The turian hardly looked fazed

"Well you have to understand the stress we officers have to endure. I'm sure he was just tired." the turian responded.

"The way he shouted at me doesn't really back up your excuse." Klenon responded. The two stared at each other for a while until the turian talked again.

"So, would you mind telling me what you're doing here mister..." the turian started.

"Lehto." Klenon replied. "As for the reason I'm here, isn't it obvious? I'm on my pilgrimage."

"Well, command wants me to ask you a few questions regarding you arrival." the turian said politely.

"Ahh yes, the interrogation. I don't suppose we can skip that mister..." Klenon said.

"Vakarian." the turian said flatly. "And no, we can't."

"Great...so how long is this going to take?" Klenon asked, already knowing that the interrogation could last for a while.

"I'm sure it won't take long." the turian said.

"Í've heard that before." Klenon replied.

"Well, you never know." the turian said.

_Until its too late._

**Questions, comments, concerns? Feel free to review. Also, I've thought a lot about this and I made a decision. I am going to make this a series. So let me be the first to welcome you to the Paragon series! I'd like to thank you, the readers, for giving me a reason to keep on writing. Thanks to all of you! Ferret out. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's chapter 5. So...uh...yeah. Not really much to talk about. Except for a reply.**

**SergiusTheGreat: Don't you worry, my friend. I have everything planned out.**

Chapter 5: Bigots Central

_Five hours_ Klenon thought. _Five freaking hours. _He was on a C-Sec elevator that lead to the Presidium but was taking the lift to the archives section of C-Sec Academy. He gently massaged his neck, grateful that he didn't fall asleep during the incessant questions. He was sure that if he did, he would recieve a less than pleasant awakening. Still waiting for the elevator to reach his destination, he started to go over his plan in his head again.

The C-Sec archives had to have a record of everyone going in and out of the Citadel. There was no doubt in Klenon's mind that they would have a record of recently visiting quarians. If he was going to find out anything about Arenia's whereabouts, it'd be there. The plan was simple, but pulling it off, probably not so much. C-Sec's archives were restricted to the general public, doubly so for quarians. Klenon expected no less than a death threat once he stepped foot in there. All he had to do was distract the officers while he 'fixed' the elevator and he could walk in as if he owned the place. He casually leaned against the wall and continued to wait. It seemed as if the elevator had no end. Klenon's mind started to wander, thinking about past events, what to do, and various other topics.

The elevator then abruptly stopped, telling Klenon that he had reached his floor. The glass door smoothly opened as did the door in front of it, revealing a dozen officers sitting in their desks, typing away on their computers. None of them even bothered to look up.

_This is going to be easier than I thought_

Klenon took two steps into the room and then a turian who was in front of Klenon looked straight up and stared directly at Klenon.

"What the hell are you doing here?" the turian questioned in a slight tone of amazement, as if he never saw a quarian before.

"I...uh.." Klenon hesitated, not being able to come up with an explanation in time.

"This area is restricted, _quarian_. Leave." the turian said, putting hate in the word quarian. Anger began to boil within Klenon but he managed to retain his composure.

"Somebody called about a faulty elevator button. They sent me to fix it." Klenon said while gritting his teeth.

"Uh huh, right. We have our own repair division for things like that. So unless you're a part of that division, you going to have to leave unless you want to be tossed into a cell." the turian threatnened in a cold tone. Klenon took a step back, he wasn't able to come up with a reason for his prescence. He looked to his right; at the call button for the elevator. He looked back briefly at the C-Sec agent, who went back to staring at his computer. Klenon quickly moved to the call button and began to tamper with it. He removed the small panel and quietly began his plan.

"What the hell are you doing?" the agent shouted as he got up from his seat. Klenon looked at the agent then back at the panel.

"I was called to do a job. I intend to finish it, sir." he said.

"Get away from that panel!" the agent shouted, grabbing his pistol. The other agents in the room began standing up and grabbing their pistols aswell. Klenon stepped away from the panel, revealing an untouched call button functioning normally.

"Okay, okay. I'm done. It should work fine now. I'll be going now. Without pay." Klenon said. The agents put their pistols back in their holsters and slowly sat back into their seats, though still staring intently at Klenon.

"You're lucky I don't throw your ass in the slammer. Get out of here! Before I change my mind!" the agent shouted. Klenon walked backwards into the elevator with his hands in front of him. He pressed the elevator button and, before the doors closed, gave a friendly wave goodbye.

Once the he was out of sight from the agents, Klenon opened up his omni-tool and opened a task window. Klenon pressed a few buttons and recieved a signal from the bug. The signal was strong, just as planned. Klenon smiled under his helmet.

_Suckers._

...

Klenon manuevered through the thick crowds of Kithoi Ward. He was on his way to Morlan's shop to buy a new knife to replace the one he gave to Tali. Morlan was probably the only salesman Klenon trusted. He had worked briefly with Morlan as a salesman. The job wasn't really in Klenon's taste, but it payed the bills. Eventually the two parted ways and hadn't been in touch since.

Klenon walked into the top floor of the markets. Dozens of buyers crowded around several kiosks. The markets always reminded Klenon of the flotilla. Crowded and full of life, just what Klenon was accustomed to. Klenon continued to walk to Morlan's. On the way he could feel many eyes watching him, and their body language showed that they weren't friendly. Klenon didn't mind though. He learned how to ignore the distrustful glares and insults behind his back. It was better that way.

He casually walked down the stairs and soon made it to Morlan's kiosk. Morlans was looking at his omni-tool and was busily typing away.

"Hello, welcome to Morlan's shop! Be with you in a moment." Morlan said in his usual buisness mood without looking up from his omni-tool.

"Ahem. Morlan? Do you not have time for an old employee?" Klenon said in a friendly tone. Morlan looked up from his omni-tool and recognized his old employee.

"Klenon! Long time, my friend! What can I do for you?" Morlan said in an enthusiastic tone.

"You seem to be in a good mood." Klenon observed.

"Yes, yes. Friend of mine opened new buisness. Lots of potential. Supposed to help couples in trouble. Will help advertise very soon!" Morlan said.

"How exactly is the buisness supposed to help couples?" Klenon asked.

"By...helping them create a deeper connection with each other." Morlan said.

"Care to elaborate, Morlan?" Klenon asked.

"Ohhh, I don't really have the details worked out just yet. It'll take time. So what can I do for you?" Morlan asked, changing the subject.

"I would like to see the knives you have in stock." Klenon asked.

"Yes, yes. Of course. Least I can do for you." Morlan replied. He reached under his counter and pulled out a medium sized case. Morlan opened it, revealing a collection of exotic knives.

"Hmm, impressive Morlan. How long have you been collecting these?" Klenon asked while looking over the knives.

"Many years. Just pick any knife and its yours. Free of charge." Morlan said.

"Wow. Thanks Morlan." Klenon thanked.

"No problem at all, Klenon. No problem at all." Morlan replied. Klenon began to scan over the knives to find one that would suit his needs. Which was basically stabbing and slashing. Klenon's eyes suddenly met with a standard survival knife with a brass knuckles modification.

"Hello, gorgeous." Klenon said under his voice. He picked up the knife and started to twirl it around with his fingers.

"Made of stainless steel. Cybernetic weave and diamond edge for greater damage. Brass knuckles also good feature. Good for smashing faces in." Morlan explained.

"Sounds like it was made just for me. I'll take it." Klenon said.

"Excellent. You take care of it, yes?" Morlan said

"Don't you worry about a thing. This little beauty is in good hands." Klenon affirmed.

"Very good. Would like a sheath aswell?" Morlan asked, already looking through his counter for one.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks again, Morlan. I owe you one." Klenon said. Morlan grabbed a white sheath and handed it to Klenon. He took it gingerly into his hands and tied it onto his belt. He grabbed the knife from the counter and placed it in its respective place on his belt.

"Don't know if I'm going to see you again, Morlan, so again thank you. You've done a lot for me." Klenon thanked once more.

"No need to thank. Least I can do to help." Morlan said. Klenon held out his hand. Morlan, recognizing the gesture, grabbed and shook it.

"Keelah se'lai." Klenon said.

"Jkawa Narumbo." Morlan responded. They let go of each other's hand and Klenon began to walk backwards from Morlan. Before turning around, Klenon gave a two-fingered 'salute' to his friend. He then turned all the way around and began to make his way to another destination, Flux, a club and casino that opened not long ago. As soon as Klenon turned the corner, he was immediatly grabbed and thrown to the wall. In front of him were a human and a turian. The human wore jeans and a leather jacket. The turian wore all black and had elaborate facial markings

"Well, well, well. What's an innocent quarian like you doing in a place this dangerous?" said the human.

"Oh you know, just enjoying the Citadel's hospitality." Klenon said, playing along.

"Hospitality huh? You know people around here aren't too fond of quarians. Me and my friend thought it'd be nice if we gave you a hand. You know, teach you how to get by." the turian said.

"How nice of you guys. But I'm sure I'll be fine. Thanks for the offer though." Klenon said.

"Really? There are a few people around here who wouldn't mind breaking your bones for a quick laugh or two." the human said.

"I know there is, but I'm sure I can handle myself." Klenon said.

"Can you prove it?" the human challanged. Klenon moved his hands behind his back and tried to create a mass effect field. He was close to pulling it off, but he was still tired after the warp attacked he used on the asari.

_Guess I'll do this the hard way._

"How would I ever prove it?" Klenon said sarcastically.

"Oh I'm sure we can think of a few reasons." the turian said while cracking his knuckles.

"Like what?" Klenon asked.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe some sparring. Let's start...now!" the human said. He pulled his fist back and threw a punch. Klenon quickly grabbed it and kicked the turian in the stomach. Klenon pulled in the human and punched him in the nose, causing the human to fall on his back.

Klenon grabbed the turian's collar and slammed him against the wall, then threw him to the floor. The human quickly got up only to have his arm twisted. Klenon, grabbing the human's arm by one hand, kicked him in the face with his heel, then flipped him onto the floor. Klenon turned around in time to deflect the turians punch. Now making the turian vulnerable, Klenon gave a powerful tiger fist to the turian's chest shortly followed by a roundhouse kick to the side of the head, causing the turian to fall back onto the ground.

The human, who now had a bloody nose, got to his knees and tried to pull himself up. Klenon ran to the rails of the stairs and jumped onto them. He jumped back at the human and delivered a hard punch to the human's eye, giving the human a black eye. The human fell on the floor face first. The human groaned in pain, showing Klenon that he wasn't going to get back up.

Klenon grabbed the turian by the collar and hoisted him to his feet. The turian threw an unexpected punch. Klenon was able to dodge the punch and elbowed the turian in the mouth.

Wanting to finish this quickly, Klenon gave a sweep kick, tripping the turian and making him fall on his back. Klenon raised his foot and slammed the turian's head on the floor with his boot. The turian started to bleed from his brow plate and one of his madibles was dislocated. Klenon clapped his hands together, content with the fight's conclusion.

"So, how'd I do, guys? Anything commendable? Any Comments?" Klenon asked sarcastically.

"Damn it, Ricky, why'd you have to pick this guy?" the turian groaned.

"Fuck you, Satorn! How was I supposed to know?" Ricky angrily replied while holding his nose.

"Next time, you guys should learn how to fight. It'd make you look a lot less stupid." Klenon said as he started up the stairs.

"Oh, and next time, don't assume that a quarian doesn't know how to fight. You never know who will turn out to be a trained killer." Klenon advised. The two thugs groaned in response.

"Glad you will take my advice seriously." Klenon said, leaving the two on the floor. He reached the top of the stairs, meeting the eyes with a few bystanders who saw the fight. Most were pleasant looks of approval of what he did. Others, however, were looks that said that he should have been beaten like he was supposed to. Klenon only took a glance at them before moving on, heading to Flux.

_Hospitality, indeed._

...

Klenon sat on a bar stool in the Flux nightclub. He was waiting for the C-Sec Archives to close so he could execute the second part of his plan. He hadn't eaten in a while so he had ordered food paste and inserted it into his helmet. Fortunatly, Flux catered to many species; including quarians. Klenon suddenly heard an arguement coming from his right. Turning his head he saw two waitresses at the end of the bar arguing.

"Jenna, please don't do this. Chora's Den is dangerous. You could get killed!" One of them said.

"Rita, stop treating me like a child! I can take care of myself." Jenna said in an irritated tone.

"You don't know what it's like there! You have to stay here. Doran has treated us so well." Rita pleaded.

"It doesn't matter. I know what I'm doing and you have no right to tell me what I can or can't do!" Jenna retorted.

"Jenna, being an informant is dangerous! If they even suspect you of eavesdropping they'll shoot you without hesistation." Rita warned.

"Enough! I've had it with you. I'm going to Chora's Den and that is final! Tell Doran I said bye." Jenna said ending the conversation. She immediatly turned around and left Flux. Klenon stared at Rita for a couple of seconds. She watched as her sister left Flux and shook her head. Rita turned and began walking up the stairs to the casino.

_Chora's Den huh. That waitress is right. One of the most dangerous clubs in the ward. I hope she comes to her senses before its too late _Klenon thought.

"Would you like another drink, sir?" a voice said. Klenon looked back at the bar and saw a female quarian in a bright red suit leaning over the counter. Klenon could tell from her eyes that she was smiling.

"Erh, yes, please." Klenon said, he wasn't expecting for her to get that close to him. The quarian turned around and began prepping a food tube.

"So on your pilgrimage, huh?" she said while prpping the tube.

"Yeah. Only been on it for a few weeks, but I think I have made some good progress." Klenon lied.

"Heh, I've been on mine for months and I haven't made any progress." she said while finishing the tube.

"You atleast have a foothold on things right?" Klenon asked.

"No, not really. I've been living in a turian shelter, but even there I'm treated like a beggar and a thief." she said in a sad tone. She turned around and handed the tube to Klenon, who attached it to his helmet.

"Have you tried taking a transport shuttle off this station? Find an opportunity elsewhere?" Klenon asked. She slowly shook her head.

"I've tried, but I can scrape enough money together for a ticket. All the money I can get is spent on everyday things. A quarians gotta eat." she lightly joked, but Klenon could tell there was sadness under it. They both remained in silence for a while, then Klenon reached into his pocket to grab something.

"Tell you what. You need to get out of here and I need to pay my bill. So take this, consider it a tip." Klenon said as he took out a 500 credit chit. He held it out in his hand, wanting the quarian to take it. She was stunned that a quarian had that much money, she didn't know if she wanted to take it.

"I-I don't know I'm sure you need it more than I do. I'm just fine here." she said, lightly pushing away the chit.

"Hey, you need it; I don't. I'm just fine without all that money wearing me down." Klenon said. The quarian stared at the chit for a couple of seconds then grabbed it out of his hand.

"Thank you. What's your name?" she asked, putting the chit in one of her pockets.

"Klenon'Lehto nar Ghalia. Yours?" he said, usng his old ship name.

"Anora'Vanya nar Ikomen" she answered. Klenon brought up his omni-tool and saw that the time was 10:25. The archives were going to close soon.

"I've got to go, Anora. There is something that needs my immediate attention. Good luck in your travels, and may Keelah guide you." Klenon said, getting up from his chair.

"Wait, where are you going?" Anora asked.

"I been moving place to place. I'm pretty sure I've over stayed my welcome here." Klenon lied.

"You're not in any kind of trouble are you?" Anora asked with concern in her voice.

"Nah, don't worry. I just need to keep moving. I think I'll make my way to Kahje." Klenon said.

"I hope you'll be fine out there." Anora said quietly.

"Don't worry. I've dealt with a lot of things in my life. I'm pretty sure I can handle whatever is thrown at me." Klenon affirmed.

"Pretty sure?" Anora questioned.

"Well, you know what I mean." Klenon said.

"Oh, okay. Well, bye Klenon. I hope we meet again soon." Anora said. Klenon gave her a slight nod then proceeded to leave Flux. Anora watched him leave Flux, a smile under her helmet. As soon as he was out of sight, she returned to work...for the last time.

...

Klenon was on the elevator that led from the wards to C-Sec. The archives closed twenty minutes ago. No one will be there, just as planned. The doors opened and Klenon stepped out. He walked up the stairs and into the C-Sec lobby. There were only three officers sitting and talking amongst themselves in the corner. Most officers were either on patrol or off-duty.

Klenon walked into the Presidium elevator and pressed the button for the archives. As expected, a small holo that read 'Restricted' appeared above the panel. Klenon opened up his omni-tool and activated the bug.

Above, the bug activated and began hacking into the elevator control. A few sparks spouted from the panel. After a few seconds, it had successfully broken through security. A few more sparks and it had opened the elevator.

The holo above the panel turned green and read 'Access Granted'. Klenon quietly chuckled to himself. A part of him thought that the bug wasn't going to work. He pressed the archives button again and the elevator responded. It closed the doors and began its rapid ascent to the archives. It soon reached the archives and opened the door.

Klenon walked over to the panel and removed the bug from it. He couldn't leave anything behind that could point to the flotilla. He walked over to closest terminal, the one that was in front of the elevator, and turned it on. The computer asked for a password, much to Klenon's annoyance. Klenon opened his omni-tool and began hacking through the computer. Long strings of coding flew across the screen. Klenon carefully attached letter sequences in the correct order and time. One mistake and he would be locked out unless he had any omni-gel. Unfortunately for Klenon, he didn't have any. Attaching a few more letters, he was granted full access. Dozens of files appeared on the screen. Most had to do with recruiment, patrols, and keepers. Klenon scanned through the innumerable amount files. He finally found what he was looking for. Customs Records.

Opening it, he entered a query for quarians that recently entered or exited the Citadel. Suddenly, an enourmous amount of quarian names appeared on the monitor. Klenon quietly groaned to himself. This was going to take a while. He began the long, debilitating process of looking for Arenia's file.

Seconds felt like minutes as he scrolled through the list. Klenon had lost track of time, but he didn't care. He just kept on scrolling. Some names were dated all the way back to when Klenon was born. The list seemed endless, infinite. Thousands of names passed by every second

_Itef'Fedas nar Kinye_

_Tamen'Raka nar Hentara_

_Daro'Xen nar Yeoha_

_Qem'Zele nar Soms_

Klenon was close to falling asleep from sheer boredom. His eyes slowly started to droop. His head began to lower. His eyes were about to close until he caught something. his eyes immediatly opened and read the name again to confirm that it was indeed the name he had been searching for a very long time.

_Arenia'Sare nar Qwib Qwib_

Klenon quickly opened the file and began to look over it. On top was Arenia's picture. She wore a dark green and white enviro-suit and a green visor. A small blue object got Klenon's attention. Around her neck was a necklace with a small diamond-shaped stone hanging from it. Klenon was curious as to why she wore that. Wearing necklaces was virtually unheard of in the fleet. Those who did were priests and you had to have completed your pilgrimage to be one. Ignoring it, Klenon began to look over the file

_Name: Arenia'Sare nar Qwib Qwib_

_Age: 22_

_Height: 5'6_

_Weight: 120_

_Date of Arrival: 4/11/2183_

_Date of Departure: 5/ 21/2183 through Tirion Relay_

"Tirion Relay?" Klenon whispered to himself. The Tirion relay only led to the Terminus Systems. More secifically, Omega. Klenon continued to read the dossier.

_Specifics: Quarian is defiant in C-Sec protocols. There were several incidents where she managed to attack a C-Sec officer. Held in cells for several days. Quarian was able to escape detention, but recaptured and sent back to cells. Released a few weeks later. While held in captivity, Quarian was given bio-readouts. Diagnostics show that Quarian is excellent test subject for Project: Aperax._

"Project: Aperax? What the hell is that?" Klenon whispered. He opened another query window and typed in 'Project: Aperax'. Before hitting enter he looked around the room. There was something odd about this room, it had no cameras. Every room in C-Sec had one except for here. Carefully, Klenon pressed 'enter'. If Project: Aperax had anything to do with experimenting on quarians then Klenon had to report it to the Admiralty Board. Only one file appeared.

_Project: Aperax Specifics_

Klenon clicked on it. The computer unexpectedly shut down and alarms began to sound. Turrents appeared from every corner and aimed at Klenon. He got up from his seat and held his hands in the air. The elevator doors opened and several people donning black armor and helmets appeared and aimed their guns at Klenon. One of them, an asari, ran up to Klenon and kicked him in the stomach. Klenon fell to his knees and was kicked to the floor by the asari.

"Untia, subject is in custody. Taking him to the Presec 3." The asari said in her radio. A salarian and turian grabbed Klenon and restrained him. Klenon tried, fiercely, to get out of their grip, but it was useless. The asari grabbed a small syringe and bottle from her belt. She filled the syringe with a purple liquid. She flicked the needle a couple of times and stared directly at Klenon.

"This won't hurt a bit." She said in a feigned friendly tone. She jabbed the needle into Klenon's neck and injected all of the serum into his bloodstream. Klenon instantly felt lightheaded. He eyes slowly shut. Klenon gave one last thought before passing out.

_So much for stealth._

Klenon fell to the floor, out cold. The asari put away the syringe and bottle and snickered.

"I love this job. You two, take him to the ship. We're taking him to Presec 3." the asari said. The turian and salarian dragged him to the elevator. The asari soon entered and closed the door.

"Another for the Project." The salarian commented.

"There's going to be a huge bonus waiting for us when we get back." the turian replied.

"We deserve it. We brought in four subjects. The least we could get is four grand. Easy money." the asari said with an evil grin.

"Can't wait for the results." the turian said.

"Can't wait to see what happens to him. It's always fun to see the quarians squirm."the salarian said

"Yes, it is." the asari agreed.

**Hate it? Liked it? Loved it? Want to marry it? I won't let you! This chapter is only a few days old! The chapter may be short but the contents are as juicy as a bacon burger, minus the heart faliure Please review! More to come soon! Ferret out.**


	6. Chapter 6

**The plot thickens! Thank to you guys who reviewed. You keep my morale up. No really, you do. I'm not depressed or anything, you just keep giving me a reason to write. Please don't send me happy pills. Unless they really have happy faces on them. Then I would just collect them. Anyway,**** let the show begin!**

Chapter 6: Crimson Shadows

Klenon lazily opened his eyes. His vision was blurred to the point that he can barely make out a shape. He struggled to move his arms but something was restraining him to something else. His breathing became erratic and his head was pounding. Sudddenly he could hear what sounded like voices. He saw two shadowy masses float towards him.

"And he managed to get that far?"

"Yes, we were able to secure him though."

"Did he learn anything about...I won't have this project compromised."

"He knows nothing...-nd we made sure that the data was secured.

"What do the...-ay?"

"His vitals are im-...-est subject."

"He has...? You are cor-...ct."

"It was the...a."

"Whether you...up to you, captain. Just make sure he..."

"Yes, Unti..."

"I have to get to...-day. Toss him in the cells once you're..."

"Of course, Untia."

"...patrols every hour on the hour."

One of the shadowy masses left the room, leaving the other behind. Klenon tried to speak, but he was so incapacitated that all that came out was a incoherent sentence. The mass seemed to float towards him and slapped him.

"...-ry special suprise for you." the mass said. Klenon was suddenly shocked from seemingly nowhere. His whole body shook violently and he screamed in pain.

"Hurts doesn't...?" the mass said in a sinister tone. Klenon was shocked again, more intensely than before. His head began to drop; his strength was being sapped by every shock. He was shocked once more, it was the most painful feeling Klenon had ever felt. He body convulsed unnarturally. Klenon began coughing up blood, landing on his visor and streaming down it. Klenon's vision was blacking out, he was close to passing out again.

"Don't worry...be over soon." the mass said in a menacing tone. Klenon almost spoke, but the intense pain he felt stopped any attempt of doing so. The mass moved away from him and pressed something on the wall. Klenon suddenly felt a sharp pain in his arm. He saw a large tube being filled with his blood. He started to shake even more. He was then shocked again. Screaming from the intense pain.

The mass picked up a datapad and read it.

"Kle...Onara, huh? You won't be...et any more." the mass said. He was shocked again and coughed up more blood. The door slid open and two more figures entered the room.

"Take...cells. Put him...o." the mass ordered. The two figures floated towards Klenon and began removing the restriants. As soon as the were removed, Klenon fell to the floor; lacking any strength to ever try to get up. He was picked up by his arms and dragged out of the room. Klenon coughed up a few more drops of blood. He was in horrible condition. He once more tried to resist. It only provoked one of the figures to kick him in the helmet. Not having even the slighest idea of what to do, Klenon intentionally let himself black out; hoping that when he woke up, it would turn out to be a horrible dream.

...

A three-fingered hand lightly tapped on Klenon's visor. It had attempted to wake him for several hours, but ended with no results.

"Come on, kid. You're not done yet." a voice said. Klenon lay motionless and unresponsive to the person's attempts to wake him. The person grabbed Klenon and dragged him to a wall. Propping his upper body against the wall, he tried one more to waken him.

"Hey, quarian, you all right in there?" it asked. The same three-fingered hand reached down and pinched Klenon's wrist. His eyes immediatly opened and he made a sudden spasm. Klenon's vision finally cleared and he was able to make out who woke him up. In front of him was a turian wearing all gray and he bore no facial markings. He also noticed the dry stains of blood on his visor.

_Great, that's going to be hard to clean up._

"You know, I've had enough pain for one day. I'd really appreciate it if you didn't do that again." Klenon muttered.

"Had to do something to wake you up. Besides, it was kind of funny seeing you spaz out like that." the turian chuckled.

"Forget what I said, I'd really appreciate if you didn't talk to me." Klenon corrected himself.

"Oh come on now. That anyway to treat your new roommate?" the turian said.

"Roommate? What are you talking about?" Klenon said.

"In case you haven't noticed, we're in a nice cold cell. An enjoyable slice of paradise if you ask me." the turian said. Klenon tried to pull himself to his feet, but the turian stopped him.

"You don't wanna move around just yet. From what I could tell, you're in pretty bad shape." the turian said.

"It doesn't matter. I'm trained to resist pain." Klenon objected. He pulled himself to his feet, letting out a small grunt.

"You sound so full of yourself, you know that?" the turian joked.

"Hey, every man has his ego." Klenon said.

"And some men know when the right time to show said ego is." the turian replied. Klenon glared at the turian for a while then changed the subject.

"So, who are you?" Klenon asked.

"Where are my manners, my name is Rekko Privien." Rekko said. "And what might yours be? Calling you 'quarian' was getting a little stale."

_And now begins the small talk in a cramped cell on a base on an unknown world. Eh, might aswell humor him._

"Klenon'Lehto." he simply replied.

"Well as long as we're here, might aswell start getting to know each other. So what are you in for?" Rekko asked.

"I stuck my nose somewhere it didn't belong. You?" Klenon asked.

"My wife cheated on me. I killed the guy she was cheating with. Heh, turned out to be one of these guys." Rekko answered.

_Great, I'm locked in a cell with a murderer._

"I'd love to stay and chat, Rekko, but I need to get out of here." Klenon said whil scanning the cell. It was an eight by eight foot cell with a barrier curtain blocking the exit. As far as Klenon could see, there was no obvious way of getting out.

"Unless you haven't noticed, Klenon, there is no way of getting out of here." Rekko said.

"Every cell has at least two exits. One is less obvious than the other." Klenon replied. He looked out the barrier curtain and only saw a desk against the far wall.

"Do you know anything about the guys who imprisoned us?" Klenon asked while looking out the barrier curtain. A thought had come to his mind. Maybe he'd be able to use his little 'key', but he soon dismissed it when he realized there was nowhere suitable to use it.

"You'd expect them to keep quiet about everything, but they sure love to talk right in front of me." Rekko said with a presence of pride in his voice.

"They call themselves the Crimson Shadows. Some sort of secret organization. Work for a person named Untia. Don't know who that is and don't know what they're doing here." Rekko listed.

"They were working on something called Project: Aperax. I have no idea what its about." Klenon said.

"Project: Aperax, huh? I've never heard anything about that." Rekko said with wonderment in his voice.

"It was on a C-Sec terminal. Do these guys work for them?" Klenon asked himself.

"Don't think so. These guys have been playing by their own set of rules. And C-Sec is big on the whole protocols and regulations thing." Rekko said.

"Then why was the project's file on one of their terminals?" Klenon asked as if Rekko knew the answer.

"They're a secret organization. Someone was probably going to pick up that file you find. Guess you got to it first." Rekko said.

"I didn't. They took me prisoner before I could even lay a finger on the file. As far as I know, they have it now." Klenon replied.

"Well then I guess they'll continue with their plan. Nothing's going to stop it." Rekko said. Klenon shook his head. He didn't want these bastards to continue with whatever they were doing; especially if it required experimenting on quarians. But his duty as a Migrant Fleet Marine came before anything else. He had to find Arenia first, then worry about other things.

"Well none of that matters now. What's important is that we get out of this hellhole before any of those guys come back." Klenon said.

"There's not a way out of here. I've checked!" Rekko said. Klenon looked back at him then noticed something between his legs. A small vent.

"What about that?" Klenon said while pointing at the vent. Rekko looked behind himself and saw the thing Klenon was pointing at.

"You really expect that to be the answer to our problems? Its bolted shut." Rekko said with skepticism. Klenon walked over to the small vent and kneeled down. Rekko was right, it was bolted shut with titanium screws from Klenon's observation. He patted his collarbone and felt a small tool. CS don't check for equipment good enough. Klenon pulled out a small drill and began unscrewing the bolts.

"Watch my back, they catch us trying to break out...I really don't wanna think about it." Klenon said.

"Right. The CS aren't really the best hosts." Rekko agreed. He walked over to the barrier curtain and began scanning for any CS entering the room. Klenon quickly removed the bolts and pulled off the vent's grate. He peered inside the dark vent. It was just big enough for a salarian...or a clever quarian.

"I'm going in. I'll find a way back here and open the barrier." Klenon said.

"Yeah, just hurry. I'd rather not be the only one to blame for this." Rekko said uneasily. Klenon quickly crawled into the vent and disappeared. As soon as Klenon left, the entrance to the cell block opened, a lone CS agent walked in. He looked straight at Rekko and gave an evil grin. He casually walked over to Rekko and crossed his arms.

"Aren't you exicted, Rekko? You get to contribute to a very important cause. Too bad you won't live to see it." the CS agent said.

"At least I wouldn't have to listen to you everyday, James." Rekko replied.

"Well guess what?" James said.

"Oh, how I hate guessing games." Rekko said.

"I'm going to be the one to send you on your way. My voice will be the last you hear." James sneered. There was suddenly a quiet 'thump' which told Rekko Klenon was getting close. Rekko seperated his mandibles, the turian version of smiling.

"Such a thing would be a fate worse than hell." Rekko said.

"I'm going to miss that smart-ass attitude of your's, Rekko." James said.

"You are? Aww, you do care." Rekko replied. A vent grate suddenly fell from the ceiling. Luckily, James didn't hear it. Rekko could see the faintly glowing dots that were Klenon's eyes. Klenon jumped from the vent and landed on the floor with a small grunt. He still hadn't recovered from the CS' torture. He turned around and saw James being distracted by Rekko.

He then noticed something else. Next to his cell was another one that had an asari and a salarian inside it. He put his finger in front of his helmet's light, the universal sign of 'be quiet'. The salarian pointed at the desk behind Klenon. He turned around and saw his knife and sheath on the desk. He awkwardly limped over to the desk and grabbed his knife, he then turned around and quietly limped behind James.

"Its been a long time coming. You've been in there for a good amount of time and it all ends so soon." James said.

"You are so right." Rekko agreed. James didn't know that Rekko meant something entirely different from what he said. Klenon grabbed James from behind and swiftly slit his throat. Klenon grabbed the dying agent to stop any loud thud from his landing.

"F-Fucker." James gurgled. Klenon lightly placed the body on the floor.

"Bastard until the end, huh, James?" Rekko said.

"You two seemed to have a past." Klenon said.

"The guy always harassed me when I got stuck in here. Now that he's lying in a pool of his own blood, he's no longer a nuiscence. Open up the gate." Rekko said. Klenon walked to the control panel on the side of the barrier and lowered the curtain. Rekko walked out and streched as if he had been cramped in the cell for a long time.

"Hey, there's more prisoners over here." Klenon said, motioning his head in their direction. The two ran over to the other cell and stopped in front of the asari and salarian. The salarian gave a friendly wave.

"Think we should let them out?" Klenon whispered. Rekko rubbed his gray, brown face.

"I guess we should, we could use the extra help to get out of here, but we'll need to be careful." Rekko said.

"We're letting you out, but you better not try anything." Klenon warned. The two nodded their heads in agreement. Klenon deactivated the fields and the asari and salarian walked out. Klenon quickly began searching for any signs of deception.

The asari wore a pink dress and had facial markings that told Klenon that she was either in her late maiden stage or early matron stage. The salarian had brown-red skin and wore a green casual outfit with a green jacket.

"I'm Tara, this is Darin." the asari said. "Thanks for getting us out of there, I hate being cooped up in one place for too long."

"I'm Klenon. This is Rekko. We were thinking of busting out of here. You two want in?" Klenon asked.

"I'm not one to deny a good fight." Tara said.

"Hopefully we can sneak out of here before it comes to that." Rekko said.

"You don't know how to have fun then. Anyways, anybody have an idea on how to get out of here?" Tara asked.

"Well since we all have a common hatred of CS, we can either be quiet about it or shoot our way out. Either way, the only way any of us are getting out of here alive is if we work together." Rekko said.

"Can't take all of them all alone. Rekko's right, we work together, we have a fighting chance of getting out of here." Klenon said. "Does anyone know where to find any weapons?"

"I managed to hide a few. These idiots don't know how to weapons check." Tara said. Darin pulled out two Raikou V's and tossed one of them to Tara. Rekko walked over to James' corpse and grabbed his sidearm, a Razer IV.

"And the quarian is left without a gun. How dreadful." Klenon said.

"You have a knife. And you know how to use it. You'll be fine." Rekko said.

"Don't just assume that kind of stuff, Rekko. Don't worry, Klenon. We'll watch your back." Tara assured.

"Thanks, Tara. Nice to know some-" Klenon started but was interrupted by a hail of gunfire. The whole group hid inside the nearest cell. Tara, Darin, and Rekko all returned fire. Klenon opened his palm and tried once more to create a mass effect field. One was formed in his hand successfully.

_Yes, thank you keelah._

Klenon turned the corner and fired a warp and the nearest CS, hitting his chest and making blood spout out from it.

"Well look who's got a special talent. And you said you needed a gun." Rekko said.

"There's nothing wrong with a little more firepower." Klenon replied. The group continued to fire back at the CS. Tara would use her own biotics from time to time and Darin would throw what little tech mines he had. Klenon decided to do a more bold move.

"Guys, cover me!" he said. He immediatly dashed out from the cell and sprinted to the desk. Closing in at a few meters, Klenon slid the rest of the way to the desk. Now that he was closer to the CS, he would be able to use his biotics more accurately. Tara soon followed him, sliding to the desk.

"There isn't anymore room, guys. Stay where you are." she shouted over the gunfire.

"Got it." Rekko said. Tara then turned to Klenon.

"Just how good are you with your biotics?" she asked.

"Good enough to kill several people at once." Klenon responded.

"Okay then, there are four CS. All of them are taking cover in the hallway outside. Any ideas?" Tara asked.

"Just one. We just need to wait until one of them sticks their head out." Klenon said. The two peered out from cover to watch for anyone popping out of cover. After a couple of seconds, the opportunity presented iteself. As soon as one of the CS popped out, Klenon lifted him into the air and catapulted the agent towards him. Klenon quickly pulled out his knife and stabbed the agent in the neck when he got close. Klenon grabbed the body and held it as a meat shield.

"Tara, give me your pistol!" Klenon said. Tara obliged and threw him the pistol. Klenon grabbed it and slowly made his way towards the door. Every shot that was fired landed on Klenon's meat shield. He moved closer and closer to the door, his meat shield taking more and more shots.

"What the hell is he doing?" Rekko questioned.

"Being a badass apparently" Tara answered. Once Klenon reached the door, he fired a singularity into the hall. All four CS were caught. Klenon threw the body to the floor and motioned for everyone to fire. Rekko and Darin all fired at the CS. Eventually the singularity ended, but one of the agents were still alive. He landed on his knees and, unexpectedly, vomited.

"Cute." Tara commented. Darin walked up to the sick agent and and waved a goodbye. He then stomped on the agent's head, crushing his skull. Klenon was not expecting such brutality from a salarian. But in a situation like this, it was demanded. Klenon tossed his pistol back to Tara and brandished his knife. The group assembled out the hallway and looked around. The hallway stretched out from both sides.

"Which way do we go?" Rekko asked. The bases alarms suddenly blared, alerting all personnel to the escaped prisoners.

"We better pick fast." Tara said.

"Wanna flip a chit?" Klenon suggested. Darin immediatly reached into his pocket and grabbed a chit. He flipped it into the air and grabbed it. He put it back into his pocket and pointed to the right.

"Ooookay, I didn't mean it but sure, let's go that way." Klenon said, amused that the salarian took him literally.

"I don't know if I wanna put my life on a chit." Rekko said.

"Well then you're more than welcome to go back to your cell while we kill everyone." Klenon joked.

"You've been in there longer than any of us. A few more minutes won't kill you." Tara added.

"Hehe, no I uhh...I'd rather not." Rekko said uneasily.

"Then to the right it is." Klenon said and ran with everyone following him. They all broke into a full sprint.

"There's a large door ahead, must be the entrance to the hangar." Klenon said.

"How convinient." Rekko said. A door in front of them suddenly opened and a CS agent walked out. Before he could level his gun to fire, he was thrown to the ground by Tara. Klenon jumped on him and stabbed him in the temple. Instanly killing him. Klenon couldn't afford to waste any time with the CS. He catched up with the group and made it to the door. He tried to open it but it wouldn't budge.

"Perfect." Klenon said sarcastically.

"Darin, open the door. We'll cover you." Tara said. Darin nodded and moved to the door and began hacking into it.

"Incoming CS!" Rekko shouted. Everyon turned around and saw three CS running towards them. Darin tossed his pistol to Klenon and continued hacking the door. All three fired at the charging CS. The agents hid behind the nearby door and returned fire.

"Tara, can you pull one of those guys out of cover?" Klenon asked.

"I can't get a good angle!" Tara replied.

"Then we do it the hard way." Klenon said. He crouched down and slowed his breathing. He carefully pointed the sights down the door. A head popped out to fire and was immediatly shot in the forehead by Klenon. One of the CS agents threw a flashbang grenade in front of Klenon. He immediatly polarized his visor to full opacity. All that showed was a small white dot. De-polarizing it, he aimed once more and fired two rounds. Only one hit their mark. The wounded CS fell to the floor, holding his knee. Rekko fired and made a perfect shot to the temple. The last CS dropped his gun and began to run from the group. Tara 'pulled' him towards the group. She calmly walked over to the floating CS and snapped his neck.

"Darin, how's the door coming?" She asked. Darin turned around and gave a thumbs up. The group massed at the door and got ready for whatever was behind it.

"Everyone be ready. Don't know what's behind this door." Klenon warned. Everone nodded and aimed the pistols at the doors. A thought immediatly came to Klenon and he turned around. He walked over to the dead CS agents and grabbed their assault rifles. He put one on his back and tossed the other two to Tara and Rekko. They checked their weapons and aimed them at the door. Klenon cautiously opened the door and the group stormed in. They were only able to get two steps in when everyone stopped. The entire group drooped their guns and held up their hands.

In front of them were at least thirty CS agents, all aiming their guns and the groups' heads. There was no way they could walk out guns blazing.

"Well shit." Rekko muuttered.

"Should've seen this coming." Tara said. Darin nodded in response.

"Keep cool, guys. We might have a chance." Klenon said. he looked around and saw stacks of crates on both sides of the doors. He carefully inched his way to of them.

"Don't even think about it, quarian." a voice said. Klenon recognized it. He looked up and saw the same asari who had drugged him and probably totured him walk through her soldiers. She calmly walked over and stopped in front of all the CS agents. She pulled out a cigarette and lit it. She took a puff and made a face that showed a hint of irritation.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance." she said.

"People tend to make that mistake." Klenon said, walking away from his group and stopping a few meters from the asari. She took another puff and smilied a sinister grin.

"Don't even think for a second that you're going to get out of here. You'll be pelted with lead before you even make a move." she said.

"Whether you believe me or not, I am going to leave. Along with these guys. And we're going to expose whatever this Project: Aperax is." Klenon said. She laughed in response.

"Do you honestly think that you can expose us? Face it kid, you'll never know what Project: Aperax is. Or what it will be. And if you think you can escape, then you're a fool." she laughed.

"I've faced worse." Klenon replied.

"I'll bet." the asari said. She dropped her cigarette on the floor and stepped on it.

"If you think you can take on thirty of my best men, then you're welcome to try. Goodbye, quarian. I was going to save you for the project, but using you as target practice will have to do." she said. The asari turned around and began to walk away.

"Why don't you stay and fight?" Klenon said. The asari stopped and turned her upper body around. She saw Klenon slowly walking towards her, taking off his knife and guns.

"Just you and me. No knives, no guns. Only fists and biotics. Come on, asari. Why don't you show me what you got." Klenon challanged. The asari turned completely around and smilied the same sinister grin. She walked towards Klenon, taking off her shotgun, assault rifle, and sniper. She then removed her belt that had several tech mines.

"Your move, quarian. But you don't know what you're getting yourself into." the asari said. The two started to circle each other, just waiting for the other to make a move. Rekko, Tara, and Darin all lowered their hands and slowly reached for their guns.

"Everyone get ready. We don't know how this is going to play out." Tara said. Klenon and the asari continued to ciracle each other, their arms glowing blue with biotic energy. The asari suddenly stopped.

"If we're going to do this, we need to do it alone." she said. Klenon raised a brow as to what she meant. He was suddenly lifted into the air by the asari and thrown up to an elevated repair platform.

"Finish off his friends. I'll deal with him personally." the asari ordered. The group had moved to the crates and soon as the asari finished her sentence. They were immediatly shot at by the CS agents. The asari moved to a ladder and climbed to the top of the platform. Klenon was already waiting for her when she reached to top, glowing the in the blue aura of biotics. The asari did the same.

"Its over, quarian. You can't possibly hope to beat me." the asari said.

"Its not over. Its only just begun."

**Showdown thy name is Ferret.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hawk: I would give you a cookie if I knew how to bake them.**

**Time till you read the chapter: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 GO!**

**(Be honest, you skipped the countdown didn't you?)**

Chapter 7: Fatal

"Shit, Shit, Shit! We're screwed!" Rekko panicked.

"Calm down, Rekko! We can take care of this." Tara hiding behind the crates across from him. She looked up at the elevated platform where the asari and Klenon were fighting. All she could see were flashes of blue biotics.

"Darin, got any ideas?" Tara asked. The salarian had hid behind the door. He looked at Tara and slowly shook his head.

"Damn." she muttered. She peered out of cover and was able to fire one round before being shot at. She peered again and noticed that she didn't hit anyone.

"We're getting nowhere!" she shouted.

"Well then we better hope Klenon wraps things up fast before we're killed." Rekko replied.

...

Klenon was thrown to the platform's control computers then to the floor. The asari was tossing him around like a ragdoll. He was lifted into the air again and thrown at the floor.

"I told you. You don't know what you got yourself into." the asari said smugly. She walked over to Klenon and wrapped her hands around his neck and began strangling him. Klenon brought up his hand and punched her in the neck. She let go of Klenon and grabbed her throat; coughing violently. Klenon brought up his leg and kicked her in the stomach. Now that she was off of him, Klenon got to his feet and 'threw' her at the rails. She hit them with powerful force and fell on her knees. She got back up, ran, and delivered a hard knee to Klenon's stomach, then elbowed him in the back of his head. She stomped on his back a couple of times then lifted him in the air and fired several warps at him. Each one was ripping a shred of his suit. Klenon put all of his biotic energy into breaking her hold.

Forced back a couple steps, the asari was about to fire another warp before Klenon pushed her arm out of the way then grabbed her head. Klenon brought it down and rammed his knee into her face then gave a forceful uppercut.

The asari landed on her back and reached at her nose. She looked at her hand and saw blood on her fingertips.

"You've got some fight in you. Good." she said. She quickly tripped Klenon and made him fall to the floor. She got on top of him a threw a flurry of punches. Klenon blocked and dodged every single one of them. He grabbed one of her fists and headbutted her with the top of his helmet. Klenon wrapped his legs around her neck and pulled her off of him.

Now that the tables were turned, Klenon got on top of her and threw his own powerful flurry of punches. All were blocked and the asari made a surprise attack and punched Klenon straight in the visor. Luckily, it didn't crack. The asari grabbed both of his wrists and twisted them. Klenon yelped in pain. The asari slid out from under him and roundhouse kicked him, causing him to flip into the air and land on his stomach. Klenon rolled away just in time before he was stomped on again. He got to his feet and engaged the asari in hand-to-hand combat again.

Both of them were throwing and dodging punches and the occasional kick. The asari hit Klenon in the neck with her forearm. Taking her chance, the asari tackled Klenon into the computers and smashed his visor into the computers. It cracked. She slammed it again and again and again. The crack widened and started to run down his visor. Klenon was able to elbow her before his visor shattered completely. He gently place his hand on his visor to test its durability. He turned around and narrowly dodged the asari's warp.

"Looks like someone's visor is going to break." the asari said while smacking her hand with her fist.

"Just try it." Klenon said, raising his fists into a combat stance. The two combatants glowed blue, charging up all the energy they had. They both fired their charged biotics at the same time, causing a large ball of biotic energy to form between them. Klenon pushed harder to gain the advantage, but the asari was able to match his strength. Klenon put all the energy he had into the biotic lock., trying to get a solid foothold in the biotic lock. The asari, however, only needed to add a little more power to overwhelm him.

_I should've seen this coming._

Klenon was slowly being pushed back. He knew he was losing this fight. He had to think fast if he wanted to win this fight. Klenon was forced to give more ground and his arms were moving closer to his chest. The asari added more pressure, making the blue orb grow in size and in brightness, evidence to its increasing power. Klenon suddenly had an idea. He gave a little more ground on purpose, feigning that he was getting weaker.

The asari took the bait and used up the last bit of energy she had; putting it into the lock. Klenon was beginning to breath heavily, holding the orb for this long was exhausting. Composing himself, Klenon gave out his grip on the orb and redirected it away from him. The large, omnipotent orb disintigrated the railing and hit the far wall, making a large hole. Large bits of stone fell and landed on a couple of unaware CS agents.

The asari shouted in frustration and charged at Klenon. She raised her fist and threw it at Klenon with all her might. Klenon, anticipating the move, deflected the attack and delivered a haymaker punch to her face. He grabbed her arm and flipped her onto her back. She quickly launched her leg at Klenon's visor, desperately trying to break it. Klenon caught and twisted it with all his strength. He put his boot on her neck and began crushing it. The asari grabbed his ankle and tried to get him off of her, but she didn't have any leverage.

"Get the fuck off of me!" the asari strained. Klenon only applied more pressure in response.

"You're dead, you hear me? DEAD!" she struggled to say.

"Your threats are nothing more than an insignificant waste of breath. So, would you die please? I've got better things to do" Klenon said taunted. The asari's temper then blew up like a grenade. She shouted at the top of her lungs and her biotics flared, lauching Klenon ten feet into the air. Landing on his back, Klenon saw the asari glow an intense blue.

_Guess I hit a nerve._

The asari took a determined step towards Klenon and amassed a high biotic energy in her arms that would be lethal if it connected to him. Klenon got up and backed up in front of the platform's computers. What he was about to do was stupid yes, maybe even suicidal, but it was the most obvious and effective way of killing her once and for all. The asari charged at Klenon, bringing her fists up to give the deadly punch. Klenon waited a few more anxious seconds. She got closer and closer, eager to kill him.

In a split-second, Klenon moved out of the way, making the asari hit the computer with remarkable force. She shrieked in pain and recoiled her hand. It was covered in broken pieces of plastic and steel. Blood was oozing from the gashes on her knuckles.

She turned to Klenon with increased fury. Her eyes were burning with vengeance. As fast as lightning, she grabbed Klenon by his sash and pinned him to the computer. She raised her bloody knuckle and brought it down. Klenon once again, moved out of its way. Her injured hand once more connected with the computer. Once she quickly removed her hand, Klenon grabbed some of the exposed wires inside of it and placed them on the asari's head. The electric current transferred from the wire to her brain, frying it. The asari let go of Klenon and grabbed her head in pain.

"How do you like the taste of your own damn medicine?" Klenon said smugly. He grabbed the back of her head to keep her from reeling back from the wire. He pressed the wires closer to her head. The asari was screaming bloody murder. Her body shook violently and she began to kneel on the floor. She grabbed Klenon's hands but did not try to pull the wires away from her. The asari's screaming quieted and her body went limp. She dropped on the floor. Dead. Smoke was emanating from her head.

"Bitch." Klenon muttered as he stood up.

"Nalia is down! Nalia is down!" one of the CS agents said. Klenon looked down at the burning corpse of the hot-headed asari. He noticed a bright orange square hanging off her belt. Klenon bent down and picked it up. It was an OSD. It probably had the information, Klenon found. he stuffed it into his pocket and looked at her burnt face.

"Thank Keelah you're silent for once." Klenon said.

"Gahh, Fuck! My arm!" Rekko shouted.

"Rekko!" Tara shouted. Klenon immediatly turned around and ran to the rails. He peered down and saw Rekko behind the crates with blood dripping from his right arm. Klenon jumped over the rails and dropped thirty feet down. He landed on his feet and sprinted towards Rekko. He finally made it to Rekko's side and activated his omni-tool.

"You okay? Course not, you just got shot." Klenon corrected himself. He applied a large dose of medi-gel and pulled out a bandage wrap from a pocket on his belt. He swiftly wrapped the bandage around Rekko's arm and sealed it.

"Klenon, your visor! Are you okay?" Tara asked with great concern.

"I'm fine. But we gotta finish this fight fast." Klenon replied.

"I would really like that." Rekko said.

"Tara, what's the situation?" Klenon asked.

"We only managed to kill seven of them." Tara replied.

"Great. Darin, any ideas?" Klenon asked, knowing that salarians are almost idolized for their intelligence. Darin, again, shook his head. Klenon carefully peered over the crates. Being a Migrant Fleet Marine, he was trained to find unconventional or unorthodox ways of neutralizing hostiles.

"Where are my guns?" he asked to everybody.

"They're between us and them, along with your knife." Rekko answered.

"Rekko, give me your assault rifle." Klenon requested, holding his hand out. Rekko only looked at him with a confused, somehwhat shocked face.

"Oh right, your arm got shot." Klenon recalled. He reached down and grabbed his assault rifle off the floor. Looking through the scope, he quickly spotted a cluster of napalm barrels on the wing of a ship.

"Hello, freedom." Klenon muttered.

_Time to improvise._

"Guys, there's a couple of barrels on that wing. Aim for it and those guys are as good as dead." Klenon addressed. Darin was the first to react. He aimed at the napalm barrels and fired one shot. Landing on one of the barrels, it immediatly caught fire and exploded. The force of the explosion, caused the wing to come loose and fall, spewing the deadly napalm and causing havoc on the CS.

"Nice. Napalm you are a godsend." Rekko muttered to himself. The group slowly walked in front of the door.

"How many are left?" Tara inquired. Klenon left the cover of the crates, walked in front of the group, and watched intently at the the burning fuel. He turned his head around and gave an answer.

"Looks like everyone is charcoaled to death, heh, just like the asari." he said. The trio stared at him for a second but none of them decided to question him about it. A figure suddenly emerged from behind the crates. Rekko, Darin, and Tara saw it; but Klenon didn't. It was a surviving CS trooper, with Klenon's knife in his hand.

"Klenon, behind you!" Tara shouted. Klenon turned his head back around and felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down and saw his knife buried deeply in his chest. The agent groaned as he pressed the knife deeper into his chest. The sharp blade slicing through his flesh. Klenon screamed in pain as the knife ripped through him.

Klenon grabbed the blade in a futile attempt to remove the knife from his chest. Time seemed to slow down for him. Everything; the burning fire, the attemtped murder, the voices and the dripping of his own blood. The agent was suddenly shot in the head and slowly let go of the knife. Klenon quickly took out the knife from his chest and fell backwards. To him, he fell slowly. Once hitting the ground, he let go of his knife, letting it skid across the floor. Tara rushed to his side and said something that Klenon couldn't hear.

"Come on, Klenon! We're getting outta here." Rekko shouted. Klenon could barely hear it. It sounded like a faint voice coming from miles away. He was suddenly being dragged by Rekko. Klenon painfully exhaled. It was the only thing he could hear clearly. He saw Darin race over and grab his knife, stained with his blood. The door behind Tara suddenly opened, revealing a lone CS agent. Tara was unaware of his prescence and was brutally hit in the back of her head with the butt of his gun. She was knocked unconscious and fell to the floor. Darin raised his pistol and fired a perfect head shot.

"Shit! Everything's going to hell!" Rekko shouted. Darin ran over, picked up Tara, and carried her on his shoulder.

"Darin, there's a ship over there come one!" Rekko shouted.

"Just hang, Klenon! Hang on!"

Klenon coughed up a large amount of blood. His strength was waning from the wound and blood loss.

"Shit, more CS!"

"Darin, open the door!"

Klenon was propped against the hull of a ship while Rekko leveled an assault rifle and fired relentlessly at the CS. He immediatly dropped it because of th injury to his arm and leveled his pistol.

"Darin, how much longer?"

Klenon touched his large chest wound with his hand and saw all the blood on his palm. His hand fell limply and he began to cough violently. Darkness began to appear around the edges of his eyes. The impending infection clouding his mind with fear. It was inevitable. He looked to his left and saw Tara on the floor with Darin hacking the ship's door. He took another large breath and saw more CS flooding the hangar.

"Come on, you bastards! COME ON!" Rekko shouted. He fired his pistol to the point that it overheated. He threw it to the ground and grabbed another one off of his belt.

"Its open? Finally! Come on, Klenon. We're going to get you outta here."

Klenon was dragged into the small pearl-white room. Ahead he could barely make out CS closing in on them.

"Damn Decon! Darin, shut the door!" Darin walked in front of Klenon with Tara on his shoulder. He fired round after round as he moved closer to the door control. Darin was suddenly shot in the chest, falling to the ground along with Tara.

"Shit!"

Rekko ran over and shut the door. The decon cycle finished and the inner door opened.

"Don't worry, Klenon. Everything's going to be okay." Rekko assured

Klenon only coughed in response. He started to gurgle from his own blood. His vision started to fade and blur. His head was pounding and his breathing became slower and erratic. Rekko rushed to his side and activated Klenon's omni-tool.

"Don't worry. Don't wory." Rekko repeated. Klenon's body began to heat up and he couldn't think straight,

"A-Arenia...data...Aper-...geth...Tali." Klenon said. He was becoming more and more delusional by the second.

"You're hallucinating, Klenon. You'll be alright. You'll be alright. Don't die on me."

"Charlie...Dynera...Nolel."

"Come on, why won't it stop fucking bleeding?"

Klenon blacked out.

...

Rekko dragged Klenon across the ship's med-bay. There was a small and faint blood trail following them. Rekko hoisted Klenon onto the bed across from the door, its side to the wall with shelves around it. Darin was barely able to follow, limping the entire way.

"Damn it, Damn it!" Rekko said. He turned to Darin and pointed at Klenon.

"Watch him! I need to get this bird off the ground." he said. Darin limped over to Klenon's side while Rekko ran out the door. He ran the the small hallway and up the stairs. Once he reached the CIC, he broke into a full sprint. He landed on the pilot's chair and activated the ship's functions. He could hear banging on the ship's door.

"No way in hell are you getting in here you bastards." Rekko muttered. The ship began to lift-off and rotate in the direction of the hangar bay doors. Dozens of CS agents were fruitlessly shooting at the ship. Rekko put all main power into the engines and flew the ship out of the hangar. The ship flew all the way up into the atmosphere of the unknown planet. Rekko breathed a sigh of relief. After being imprisoned in a cell for so long, he was finally free. He turned on the auto-pilot then turned to another matter of urgency.

Rekko jumped out of the pilot's chair and grabbed the unconscious Tara. He put her on his shoulder and walked briskly to the med-bay.

...

Rekko opened the door to a horrifying sight. Darin was lying on the ground, out-cold.

"Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me." Rekko said. He quickly placed Tara on one of the beds and looked in the shelves around Klenon's bed for medical supplies. He found a packet of medi-gel and ripped it open. He flipped Darin onto his back and applied all of it onto Darin's wound. He put Darin on the last bed as fast as he could, then turned his attention to Klenon. There was a medical computer next to Klenon's bed. Rekko assumed that the bed Klenon was on was used for intensive treatment.

Rekko started up the computer and a menu of healing procedures appeared, aswell with medicines. Rekko started to activate every single antibiotics injection he could find. He had never dealt with a quarian before Klenon but he was well aware of their weak immune systems. The wall behind Klenon's bed opened a medium-sized compartment. Needles came up from under the bed and began injecting their contents in Klenon. Rekko activated a heart monitor, wanting to know Klenon's condition. The monitor brought no comfort. The slow beeping was evidence to Klenon's dying state.

"Shit!"

A defib-unit emerged from the wall and began shocking Klenon's heart. The needles were injecting the antibiotics as fast as they could, but Rekko wished they would move faster. The defib-unit shocked him again, increasing his heart rate. It only offered a small amount of comfort. Klenon occasinally twitched from the electricity and injection of some many needles.

"Come on, Klenon. You're a fighter. You can pull through this." Rekko said more to himself than Klenon. The heart monitor beeped and a slightly less than normal pace, but it was good news.

"Gotta cover up that breach." Rekko said to himself. He walked to Klenon's side, but he didn't know where to start. He walked over to the shelves and rummaged through its contents, looking for any kind of suit repairs. Rekko suddenly heard a blood chilling sound.

Klenon had flat-lined.

**No comment.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Still no comment.**

Chapter 8: Price of Freedom

"No, no, no!" Rekko shouted in rapid fire. He ran back to the medical computer and started activating every life-saving function he could find. The defib-unit shocked him again, only leading to one beep from the monitor. A needle filled with a pale blue substance and administered it into Klenon. Two beeps. It was dextro adrenaline. Rekko put the function on a loop and went back to trying to find any other means of healing. The monitor emitted two beeps then flat-lined again. Rekko rushed to Klenon's side and began to peform CPR.

"You're not done yet, kid. You're not done yet." Rekko whispered. He pressed down on Klenon's chest harder, trying to circulate oxygen into his brain. The monitor only beeped once. Klenon's heart was trying to desperately start again.

"Spirits, save him. Please." Rekko pleaded. Even though they had only met a half-hour ago, he considered Klenon as a close friend. The defib-unit shocked him again. Three beeps.

"That's better. That's better." Rekko whispered. He continued the mudane but crucial task of performing CPR. Klenon began to breath once more.

"Yes, yes that's good!" Rekko shouted with enthusiasim. There was suddenly a groan to his right and saw Tara shaking her head.

"Tara! Tara, get up." Rekko said. Tara lifted herself up and squinted and Rekko, she then turned her attention to the severly injured Klenon. Her eyes immediatly shot open and she jumped out of bed.

"How's he doing?" Tara asked urgently.

"He's barely hanging on. He's getting sicker by the minute." Rekko answered. Tara thoroughly observed Klenon's condition. She was more experienced in medical care than Rekko.

"Where's the computer?" She asked.

"Over here." Rekko said, pointing at it. She jogged over to it and began reading through it. She deactivated some functions and activated several others. Tara turned up the defib-unit's power greatly. It made a loud beep and shocked Klenon so hard that his limbs flew a couple of inches into the air. Tara analyzed Klenon's chest wound. It was a deep hole in the middle of his chest with a large puddle of blood surrounding it, staining his suit.

"Rekko, look around for some Exo-Pads." She ordered. He more than happily obliged and began scouring through the shelves for the Exo-Pads. Tara opened another window and saw a miracle. Vaccinations. Tara activated a few in accordance with Klenon's condition. Three needles filled with a sickly-green colored liquid They all injected Klenon simultaneously and began to patch up all the suit breaches caused by the injections. Klenon's breath started to ease.

"I found them." Rekko said while hastily pulling them out. He handed them to Tara, who began to tear off the plastic covering. Exo-pads had small dobs of medi-gel that were specifically designed to rapidly heal the surface of the skin. Tara carefully placed the Exo-Pad onto Klenon wound. The Exo-Pad made Klenon wince from the cold medi-gel. The monitor beeped a comforting message. Klenon's heart was now beating on its own. It was beating slower than normal, but it meant that Klenon wasn't in danger of dying anytime soon. Tara and Rekko breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Thank the goddess." Tara muttered

"By the spirits that was close." Rekko said. Tara tuned her head and saw Darin laying unconscious. She quickly walked over to him and diagnosed his injury.

"Darin should be okay. He lost a little bit of blood and passed out." Tara reported. Rekko looked on the shelf above Klenon's bed and saw an assortment of species' blood. He reached up and grabbed a bag of salarian blood. He walked to Tara's side and held out the bag of green blood to her. She took it gingerly and began hooking it on a stand and inserted a needle in Darin's wrist. The bag began emptying its contents in Darin.

"It was touch and go there for a second." Tara commented, sitting down on a chair next to Darin.

"We got lucky, that's for sure." Rekko said as he pulled up a chair and sat down across from her. There was a brief pause until it was broken by Tara.

"Where are we?" Tara asked quietly.

"On one of the CS' ships. I managed to hijack this thing, get it off the ground, and out of the base." Rekko said. While Tara was glad that they managed to escape from the CS' grasp, it didn't make the knowledge that Klenon and Darin were close to dying any easier to take.

"What do we do now?" she asked, looking Rekko straight in the eye; hoping he'd have an idea.

"I don't know. I really don't have anywhere else to go. I'm a drifter as far as anyone is concerned." Rekko said.

"I guess we need to go our seperate ways then." Tara said.

"I don't think we need to. Let's wait till Klenon and Darin are up and running before we make a decision. Who knows, maybe sticking together will be more than just circumstance." Rekko said.

"Good idea. Maybe Klenon needs to be dropped off somewhere for his pilgrimage." Tara said.

"I forgot that quarians go on pilgrimage. Might be a good conversation starter when Klenon wakes up. No doubt he's going to be in a bad mood when he wakes up only to have a cold waiting for him." Rekko said.

"I think he's going to get much more than that. Somebody's going to need to be by his side all the time. He might know what to do to treat an infection, but there's no way to know for sure." Tara said.

"Until he wakes up, then we find out if he's capable of treating himself." Rekko replied.

"Right, and until then, one of us needs to stay here." Tara said.

"I think you should. I'm better at piloting the ship. And you were able to treat Klenon by yourself practiacally without me." Rekko admitted.

"I guess, but you were able to take care of him until I woke up, you have to take some credit." Tara replied, being modest.

"I may be able to keep him alive, but you will be able to treat any symptoms. Before Klenon passed out, he started saying these weird things. Like he was hallucinating." Rekko said.

"Like what?" Tara asked with intrigue.

"He started to say names like Arenia and Tali. And he said geth. Then he said some word, Dynera. I don't really know what that is." Rekko said with uncertainty.

"Then we should ask him when he gets up. We've only known each other for about an hour. Maybe he needs to go to whatever the Dynera is to meet up with those people." Tara speculated.

"Maybe." Rekko said. There was another pause until this time it was broken by Rekko.

"Well, I need to start checking the ship's systems. Don't want us to die when we barely got out of that base alive." Rekko half-joked. He stood up from his chair and exited the room. Tara stared at Klenon's unmoving form for a few seconds. The heart monitor showed that his vitals were below normal, but he was alive; that was what really mattered. Tara pulled up her chair next to Klenon's bed and got into a comfortable position. She intently watched Klenon's chest rise up and down, how he was able to endure so much pain in a short amount of time was a mystery to her.

She then looked at Darin. The salarian was also unmoving, but he was in a better state then Klenon. Both of them were going to be in bed for a while. Tara propped up her legs onto the computer's desk and tried to get some sleep. It was going to be a long time until either Klenon or Darin would regain consciousness. Tara closed her eyes and slept lightly, wanting to react as quickly as possible if anything changes.

...

The sickbay was quiet. There was little movement beyond the rising and falling of the people's chests inside. The ships engines were dormant. Besides the hum of the critical systems, the entire ship was silent.

"Hey, Tara." a voice said weakly. Tara did not respond.

"Hey, Tar- *cough*" coughed the voice. Tara's eyes shot open and met with a familiar pair of glowing ones.

"Oh sure, you heard that." Klenon muttered. Tara jumped from her seat and hugged Klenon as tightly as she could without hurting him.

"Thank the goddess you're okay." Tara said. "And I see your attitude hasn't changed any." Klenon returned the gesture with as much strength as he could muster.

"A little cough isn't going to change my atti- *sneeze* tude." Klenon sniffled, his voice sounded hoarse and congested.

"Klenon, you're sick. You need to lay down and get some rest." Tara urged while breaking the hug.

"I don't have time to get sick. I need to get to Om-" Klenon said while getting up. An intense pain caused him to break his sentence and he fell back on the bed. He grunted painfully from his wound.

"And you're hurt; badly. You aren't going anywhere." Tara said.

"Fine." Klenon sighed. He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before turning to Tara.

"How long have I been out?" he asked. Tara turned to the computer and checked the time.

"About ten hours." she answered.

"Oh, lovely." Klenon replied. He sniffled again, not happy that he was sick, injured, and confined to bed. Klenon began to feel incredibly hot under his suit.

"Man this fever is getting ridiculous. I'm sweating under this suit." Klenon complained. Tara reached into a nearby shelf and grabbed a small, pink colored bottle.

"And my suit is stained with a gallon of my blood. That's going to stay until I get back to the fleet." Klenon added.

"Quit your whining and take this." Tara said, holding out the bottle. Klenon took it slowly and looked at the label.

"Nerotexin. Used for fever, sore throat, nausea, and upset stomach." Klenon read. "Fancy." He took off the top and looked inside it. He grabbed a small cork-like device from a pocket on his arm, and put it on the brim of the bottle. Klenon shook it lightly and inserted it under his helmet. He drank all of the medicine and detached the bottle from his helmet.

"Tastes a little funny. Where are we?" he asked, setting the bottle next to him.

"We're in one of the CS' ships. Rekko managed to drag all of us in here and get this hunk of scrap flying. We were waiting for you and Darin to wake up before we did anything." Tara answered. Klenon slightly shook from the mention of the CS. The bastards had almost killed him. Then he remebered the OSD he took from Nalia. He moved his hand towards his belt and felt his pocket. It was still there. He pulled it out and looked at it; it was still in working order.

"Where'd you get that OSD?" Tara asked, pointing at it.

"I got it off the asari I fought. Nalia was her *cough* name." Klenon recalled. He turned it around in his fingers and continued to observe it.

"What's in it?" Tara questioned.

"No idea. I assume it's the data that got me into this mess in the first place." Klenon said. "Well, as long as I'm here I might aswell see what's on it.". He scanned the OSD with his omni-tool, and it began to load the information. A small window appeared that read 'Encrypted'.

"Great, I've should've seen that coming." Klenon said. He placed the OSD back in his pocket and deactivated his omni-tool.

"You'll have enough time to decrypt that thing later. Right now we need to take a breather after all we've been through." Tara said. Klenon once more tried to get out of bed but Tara stopped him.

"You're not getting out of this bed, Klenon." Tara said sternly.

"I need to get somewhere. It's important." Klenon said.

"Where?" Tara asked, crossing her arms. Klenon didn't answer. He was trying to come to a decision about whether he should tell her or not.

"Omega, for my pilgrimage." Klenon said.

_"Why would you want to go there? Its the roughest place in the galaxy." Tara stated._

"I...forgot something there. My pilgrimage gift. If I don't get it *cough* back, I can't go back to the flotilla." Klenon lied. Tara scratched her chin, thinking about what he said.

"Alright, we'll got there. I'll go up and talk to Rekko later." Tara said.

"How is *sneeze* Rekko?" Klenon asked.

"He's fine. The gunshot wound has healed as far as I can tell." Tara said.

"For an average guy, he handles himself pretty well." Klenon commented.

"Did Rekko ever tell you how he got imprisoned anyway?" Tara asked.

"He said he killed the guy his wife cheated with. That guy was one of the CS." Klenon said, putting his hand on his head. He was starting to get a headache.

"Really? But he looks so well-adjusted to resort to murder." Tara said.

"We never know what people are like on the inside *cough* unless we're comitted to finding out." Klenon said. There was a long pause until Klenon tried to get up once more.

"Klenon." Tara said, trying to get the stubborn quarian to lie back down. Which he did.

"Can never have any fun." Klenon muttered. Klenon saw a motion in the corner of his eye. He looked in its direction and saw Darin shifting around.

"Darin's up." Klenon said, pointing at him. Tara turned around and got up from her chair. She walked up to Darin and checked up on him. While she was occupied, Klenon got up and out of bed. He felt a sudden dizziness and felt naseous. He grabbed on the side of the bed for support and regained his composure. Ignoring the pain from getting up, he quietly staggered out of the room.

_Still got it._

Klenon staggered out of the room and entered the hallway. It was a small 'T' shaped hallway. To his left was a single door with a holo above it that read 'Engineering'. In front of him was the living quarters and to his right were stairs leading up to deck one. He limped his way to the stairs and slowly ascended them. Each step he took sent a pin to his chest. He looked down at his wound and noticed the Exo-Pad on his chest.

_That'll act as a good temporary seal while I find the time to fix the breach myself._

He reached the top of the stairs and scanned the room. Deck one was the CIC and the bridge to the ship. In the middle of the rectangular room was a large holo-panel, used to diagnose systems and give firing solutions. At the far end of the room was Rekko sitting in the pilot's seat looking out into space.

Klenon silently made his way behind Rekko. The turian was unaware of his prescence. Klenon placed his hand on Rekko's shoulder. Rekko, slightly startled from the hand, looked up and saw Klenon looking back at him.

"Klenon you crazy bastard; you're awake!" Rekko said as he stood up and gave a friendly hug.

Klenon was surprised from the affection he was getting. They had only barely met and now they were acting like good friends. For a bunch of escaped prisoners, they were getting along quite well.

"Watch the hugging *cough* Rekko. I'm still a little hurt." Klenon said. Rekko let him go and put his hands on Klenon's shoulders.

"Because of you, my friend, we made it out of that hell-hole." Rekko praised.

"Yeah, well, That little slice of paradise didn't really suit me." Klenon said, he coughed soon afterwards.

"How's the infection coming?" Rekko asked.

"Pretty much what you'd expect: fever, cough, sore throat, you know the ususal." Klenon said.

"You're not vomiting are you? That really wouldn't be pretty, for either of us." Rekko said.

"No, thank keelah. Luckily I haven't eaten in a while. Oh, I haven't eaten." Klenon realized.

"There might be some dextro rations in the living quarters. You should look there." Rekko suggested.

"Where are we?" Klenon asked.

"Nowhere. Right now we're just drifiting in space." Rekko answered. Klenon nodded, but before he left, he asked Rekko one last question.

"Let me ask you something. When we first met you treated me way better than any other turian I've met, why is that?" he asked.

"Well I've learned a long time ago you shouldn't treat people based on the mistakes of the past. You'd be surprised how strict Palaven is on that particular subject." Rekko informed. "What about you? Before I woke you up, I expected that you wouldn't even take a glance at me. I expected that after all the crap you most likely took from everyone else, you'd not want to talk to a turian."

"I was imprisoned by an unkown group that outnumbered and outgunned me. The last thing I needed was another enemy." Klenon explained. Rekko nodded in agreement. Common sense dictated no enemies until the biggest one is defeated. Klenon turned around to see Tara looking straight at him with crossed arms.

"You never quit do you?" Tara said.

"Quarians don't quit, they adapt." Klenon simply responded. Darin walked up from behind and nodded to Klenon.

"Rekko, could you get us to Omega? Klenon forgot something there." Tara requested.

"Omega? Heh, changing from one shit-hole to another." Rekko said as he sat back down into his seat. He ran through the ships status to get an idea of the ship's cpabilities.

"We can make to Omega with no problem, assuming nobody shoots us down when we get there. ETA would be around...six hours." Rekko said.

"Until then, some of should get some rest." Tara said looking at Klenon. He knew she meant him.

"You're right. You and Darin should get some rest. You need it." Klenon said with a wide grin.

"I meant you." Tara said.

"Fine, Fine. But not in the med-bay. That place gives me a bad vibe." Klenon said. He walked away from the trio towards to stairs, going to the living quarters.

"He's so stubborn." Tara commented.

"Most men are. Not like women, who buckle from the slightest amount of pressure." Rekko joked. Tara slapped him in the back of the head.

"Ow. Unnecessary, Tara." Rekko said while rubbing the back of his head.

"Idiot." Tara said.

"Also unnecessary." Rekko replied.

...

Klenon was in the living quarters on the ship, prepping some dextro rations with his own supply of tubes on one of the counters. The living quarters had a larger space than Klenon expected.

There was five sets of bunk beds all aligned to the left side of the room against the walls. The kitchen and counters, where Klenon resided, were to the right. Completely stocked with levo and dextro rations. In the middle were sets of couches and small book cases. On the far wall, across from the door, was a large holo-screen for entertainment. On both sides of the holo-screen were glass windows with a marvelous view of the outside. And in the corner was the bathrooms.

_For a bunch of cold-blooded killers, the CS definitely know interior design._

Tara walked up next to him and started to make a meal of her own.

"I've been meaning to ask you something." Tara said.

"Shoot." Klenon replied.

"Rekko said that you were saying some crazy stuff before you passed out. What was that about?" she asked.

"Like what?" he asked, wanting clarification.

"Something about...Arenia and Tali." Tara said.

"They're just people I know. Nothing strange about it." Klenon dismissed.

"Then you said something else, a word, Dynera." Tara continued. Klenon immediatly stopped prepping the tube.

_I'm dead weight, Klenon. You're not going to make it if you're dragging me._

_We can both make it!_

_No, we can't. I'm sorry. _

_Nooooo!_

"It's nothing." he finally said, continuing to prep the tube.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Tara asked, sensing that something was bothering Klenon.

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yes." Klenon said, as he walked away with a tube in hand. Tara didn't follow him, figuring it was best to leave him alone for now.

"So, what's you're story? Asari, imprisoned in a cell with a salarian." Klenon asked, while sitting on one of the couches and inserting his food tube. Tara sat down across from him with a small plate of food.

"Well, during my maiden stage, I wandered the galaxy like other asari do. I joined a few prestigious merc bands, but got out soon after. I met Darin a few years back on Illium. He was being harrassed by a few loan sharks. After some...persuasion, they let Darin go; and we stuck by each other after that." Tara remembered.

"He doesn't talk much, does he?" Klenon said, barely realizing that Darin hadn't uttered a word since they met.

"He only talks when he has something important to say." Tara explained. Klenon took a bite from his food paste.

"He's pretty good with tech isn't he?" Klenon said as more of a fact then a question.

"Yes, he helped me out with a few things. Opening locked doors and such." Tara said.

"Why did the CS capture you? Did you get on their bad side too?" Klenon asked, taking another bite from his food.

"We broke into one of their armories to find some stuff to sell and...well you know the rest." Tara said, letting Klenon figure out the rest.

"You tried to steal from them?" he questioned, sneezing after finishing his sentence.

"We try to steal to get by. We're sorta like that human character, Robin Hood. Steal from the rich, give to the poor. Except the poor is us." Tara said.

"Well, atleast you got away with it now." Klenon said. The two continued talk for the rest of their meal. Darin eventually walked in and had slept in one of the bunks. That was when Klenon had noticed that the time was 23:35.

"We should get some rest, if Omega didn't change while I was gone, we're going to need to be alert." Klenon said. He got up from the couch and walked to one of the bunk beds. He climbed up to the top bunk and jumped on the matress. He grunted in pain when he landed, still hurt from the stab wound.

"I told you to stay in bed." Tara said as she laid down on the bed in front of Klenon's.

"It's just a flesh wound." Klenon said, downplaying the seriousness of the injury. He put his hands behind his head, closed his eyes, and laid down.

"You know, you didn't really tell us anything about you." Tara said. Klenon opened one of his eyes and looked at Tara.

"I guess not. Ehh, I'll tell you later." Klenon said, then immediatly closed his eye.

"I'm holding you to that." Tara said. Tara turned on her side and fell asleep. Klenon, even though he was close to dying, was content with how the day turned out. He got a ship, allies, and he was back on track to finding Arenia. He may be able to finish this mssion and make it back to the fleet quickly. He hoped it stayed that way.

**The suspense was killing you, huh? Czerynon, thanks for that plethora of reviews. I will give you one golden fedora. And in regards to you latest review, I'm like Van Gogh, I will suffer for my art. But I will NOT cut off my ear!**

**Mapped, that crying face tugged at my heart. You, my friend, get a golden tissue.**

**Oh, and Sergius, If you strike me down I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine. You still get a golden boxing glove.**

**See you guys later. Ferret out.**


	9. Chapter 9

**And then there were nine. You know what's weird? Ever since I wrote that Klenon got sick, I've been getting progressively sick too. Coincidence? Maybe. Despite my health, I will continue to right...uhhh no. I meant wirte...write. You guys are in for a treat. This is the longest chapter I've written so far. Enjoy! **

**Hawk: Your answer is somewhere in this chapter. Go nuts. **

**Czerynon: Citadel ER, huh? I would watch that actually.**

Chapter 9: A Warning Ignored

"Lady and gents we are approaching Omega's ports, dock 138. Please leave all matresses the way you found them and place all glasses and plates in their respective shelves. The temperture today is 81 degrees with a chance of getting killed. In local news, Aria T'Loak has announced plans for a new club in level 32, dubbed Afterlife. A batarian gang had a shootout with a krogan." Rekko said over the ship's intercom. Klenon jumped down fom bed and grabbed his chest in pain.

_Damn, still haven't healed._

"And finally, the death toll today so far is 13." Rekko reported.

"Well that's no so *sneeze* bad." Klenon said.

"Each level." Rekko finished.

"Oh." Klenon said. Tara sat on her bed and began to put on her shoes. Darin jumped down from the bunk on top of hers and began to jog in pace.

"Glad someones doing fine." Klenon muttered, still sick from the infection. Darin smiled and nodded his head.

"Klenon, I'll go get you some more medicine. I want you to take some of it while you're gone." Tara said.

"Yes, doctor." Klenon said. Tara walked out of the living quarters. Klenon shook his head and looked at Darin.

"Did you ever have to deal with that?" Klenon asked him. He shook his head.

"Guess its a motherly instinct." Klenon said.

"Hellooooo? You guys there? I don't want to wake you guys up myself." Rekko said.

"Just wait a few seconds, Rekko. Don't get your fringe bent backwards." Klenon said, whispering his last sentence. Tara walked into the room with two bottles in her hands.

"Take these. The green one is for cold symptoms, the blue one is for nausea and upset stomach." Tara said, holding out the bottles. Klenon grabbed each of the bottles and put them on his belt.

"Thanks, now I won't die from an infection in the middle of the *sneeze**cough* street." Klenon said.

"Do you need some help to get to your pilgrimmage gift? Darin and I can come with you." Tara offered.

"No, I can get there myself. Thanks for the offer though." Klenon said.

"You sure? You're sick and Omega is a rough place." Tara reasoned.

"I appreciate the offer, but this is something I need to do on my own." Klenon said. Tara slowly nodded her head. It was obvious she was concerned about Klenon's well-being.

"Tell you what, I'll take a pistol and my knife with me. Between those and my biotics, I'll be able to hold my ground." Klenon said.

"Good idea. You just better hope that you can handle everything that Omega throws at you." Tara said.

"Where is my knife?" Klenon asked. Darin reached into his pocket and pulled out Klenon's knife, still stained with his blood.

"Ahh my knife. Little bastard." Klenon said, taking the knife from Darin's hand. He put it in his sheath and stretched his arms.

"I've been here before. I've seen the worst Omega has to offer. And I am more than confident that I can beat it all over *sneeze* again." Klenon said confidently. Tara just smiled in response.

"Come on guys, really? You're not dead are you?" Rekko said.

"No Rekko. Just getting everything together. We'll be up there in a few minutes." Tara said.

"We really should get going. The sooner we're done with everything on Omega, the sooner we can get out of here." Klenon said. Tara looked at Darin to see if he needed something. Darin pointed at his wrist, where his omni-tool should be.

"We'll get a new one in the markets here, Darin. Hopefully they won't rip us off." Tara said.

"Yeah, the markets here aren't the most honest in the galaxy." Klenon said. The trio exited the the living quarters and ascended the stairs. In Klenon's mind, he had been thinking about where to go to on Omega that would most likely have information on Arenia. The three had made it to deck one, to see Rekko relaxing with his legs on the controls and his hands behind the back of his head.

"Rekko, get your feet off the controls. We don't want this ship to crash into Omega now do we?" Klenon said.

"But the docks have us sealed in place. We can't even go anywhere." Rekko defended.

"And you trust Omega's docks?" Klenon asked, giving a trick question. Rekko's mouth opened but no words came out.

"Point taken." Rekko said, giving up on the small debate. Tara and Darin walked into the decon room and the door closed behind them.

"Are you not coming?" Klenon asked.

"Nah, I've already seen all I need to from Omega. And its more safer here than out there." Rekko said, motioning his head towards the window in front of him.

"I actually expected you to go out there with me, since you saved my life back at the base." Klenon said.

"I can't always be around to save your skin. Sometimes, you gotta learn by doing. Sink or swim. You, Klenon, have to swim...quarians know how to swim right?" Rekko asked.

"Yes we do. We just never have to." Klenon lied. He had never even heard of swimming.

"Well you have fun out there, Klenon. And watch where you step. Fall down in the lowest parts of Omega and you fall right into a Vorcha breeding ground. That is something no mortal should ever have to witness." Rekko said, shuddering.

"And how do you know this?" Klenon asked. Rekko just stared at him for a while.

"Down a few too many drinks and you'll agree to almost anything." Rekko finally said.

"You might need to get some help for that." Klenon said.

"I'm fine. It's in the past." Rekko said uneasily.

"It looks like it caught up with you." Klenon replied.

"No it hasn't. I'm fine. I promise." Rekko said.

"Yeah. You are. I'll just be going." Klenon said.

"Careful out there, Klenon. Things can take an unexpected turn when it comes to the glorified shit-hole that is Omega." Rekko warned.

"I know, Rekko. I know." Klenon said, exiting the bridge.

"You'll thank me later!" Rekko shouted. The inner door closed behind Klenon, leaving Rekko alone in the ship.

"Ehh, what do I do now?" Rekko asked himself. He looked around the bridge and CIC, looking for something to do.

"I'm going to check my identitybook." Rekko said, remebering that he hadn't checked the site in a while, and hoped they changed the name into something shorter.

...

The ship's outer door opened up instantly, revealing Omega to Klenon. He stepped out and saw that Tara and Darin were nowhere to be found.

_Guess they went on ahead without me._

Klenon walked out the airlock's tunnel. Reaching the end, he saw the dirty, rusted streets of Omega. The hallway broke into two different directions, to the left and right. Klenon, randomly guessing, walked to the left. He looked outside the window to his side. It was the first time Klenon had laid eyes on the ship that he was saved in. It was a pure white ship in the shape of a 'L' on its side. Its was barely the size of a frigate and, from Klenon's observation, had three decks.

He looked back to where he was going, there were a few people lying in the hall. Most looked sick and hungry. It was the recurring theme in Omega. People dying every day because everyone is out for themselves. Seeing nobility in Omega was about as common as an elcor walking on its hind legs.

"Please, sir. Can you spare a few credits?" asked a batarian beggar who was sitting against the wall. He looked hungry and desperate. His eyes told great sorrow and despair. It was clear that he had all but given up the small amount of hope he had. Klenon looked at him with sympathetic eyes. He always hated seeing people suffer. He reached into a pocket on his arm and pulled out a chit holding 50 credits.

"You need this more than I do. Make good use of it." Klenon said while handing out the chit. The batarian reached for it with shaky hands, anxiously wanting to touch what could save his life, if only for a couple more weeks.

"Thank you, stranger. Thank you." the batarian said happily.

"No problem. Stay safe, sir. Keelah se'lai." Klenon said. The batarian's have a rough history with quarians, but they aren't all the same. That was what mattered to Klenon.

"Your visor is damaged, stranger." the batarian commented, putting the credit chit in his pocket.

"Yeah I know. I need to find the neccessary supplies to fix it." Klenon said while staring at the crack that ran down his visor.

"There is a batarian named Taf that runs a general goods store not far from here. He would probably have what you need." the batarian suggested.

"Taf? Okay, I'll do that." Klenon said. There was a common thing about beggars. They always listen in on conversations and know more about what's going on in the streets than anyone.

"Goodbye, stranger. I hope I meet another as generous as you." the beggar said. He got up to his feet and left, most likely going to buy food. Klenon continued on his way to exit the docks. He reached a large blast door. Klenon pressed the holo-button and the massive door struggled to open. The door slowly opened, revealing a large marketplace that tried to sell their overpriced products to visitors.

Klenon walked down a small flight of stairs and walked briskly out of the markets. Several merchants tried to get his attention, but he didn't give them his time. He walked into a busy street filled with pedestrians, innocent or otherwise, going about their day. Klenon had to bump shoulders with more than a few people to get anywhere. He looked on ahead. There were species of all kinds in the streets. Batarians, Humans, Turians, Krogan, and even a Hanar or two.

What disturbed Klenon the most was that he occasionally saw a quarian in the streets. He felt a uneasy feeling in his stomach when he saw a lone quarian in the most dangerous corner of the galaxy. It was his job to protect the quarian race, knowing that there were quarians in the midst of danger's source gave him a sense of faliure in his mind. Quarians disappear from the flotilla everyday. Whether to go on pilgrimage or to just leave.

Klenon may be a little cynical, but at this rate, the Migrant Fleet is going to be in real trouble soon. They needed the information Arenia has to reclaim their homeworld. He looked ahead of the crowd then all around him. Arenia could be anywhere in this forsaken place. For all he knew, she could be dead or left to another location. Klenon was starting to lose hope of finding her. Then he remebered what he told Tara in the ship's bridge.

_Quarians don't quit, they adapt._

Klenon shook his head at that thought and grinned. Words of semi-wisdom would often come out like that and it amused him that someone like him could ever think up of such things. He heard a commotion ahead of him. Klenon quickly walked through the crowd to see what it was about. A large circle in the crowds had formed, giving the unknown event its space. Klenon made his way to the front of the crowds. In front of him was a batarian that was beating a helpless turian.

"You don't take money from me you whelp!" the batarian shouted as he kicked the turian in the stomach.

"I didn't do anything. Won't someone help me?" the turian cried.

"It's just you and me, give me back my credit chit!" the batarian shouted as he circled the turian. Klenon looked around the crowd, nobody moved a muscle; they were only going to watch to see what happens.

"I'm being set up! I haven't done anything wrong!" the turian defended.

"That was the only chit I had! Give it back or I swear I will gouge your eyes out!" the batarian threatened. Klenon then saw something that showed that the turian was telling the truth. He saw the faint glow of a credit chit from the batarian's pocket.

_Idiot._

Klenon immediatly dashed from the crowd to the batarian. Since the batarian's back was to Klenon, he didn't see him coming. As soon as Klenon closed in, he kicked the batarian in the back of the knee, collapsing his leg. Klenon elbowed him in the face and the batarian toppled to the floor. Klenon kneeled beside him and grabbed the batarian's neck with one hand and took out his knife with the other.

"Listen you pathetic excuse of a living being, you're going to leave him alone; and if you don't, I will gouge *your* eyes out and throw them over the balcony." Klenon said in a cold tone. The batarian didn't know what to say. He wasn't expecting someone to attack him like that. He looked into the crowd and looked for assistance.

Another batarian tore through the crowd and ran towards Klenon. He let go of the batarian's neck and threw his knife at his friend. The blade cut through the batarian's head like butter. The unfortunate batarian fell backwards. Klenon pulled his knife out of the batarian's head biotically, landing back into his palm. Klenon pointed the knife back at the batarian on the floor. Several people in the crowd were in awe from Klenon's biotics display.

"You see what I can do? Tell him you're sorry and I won't slice your head open like I did to your friend." Klenon threatend. Klenon grabbed the batarian with both of his hands and got him to his feet. He put his knife right above the batarian's neck, silently forcing him to apologize.

"I-I'm sorry. I was just trying to make a-a living, y'know?" the batarian said in a terrified tone. The turian merely stared at the batarian. Klenon sheathed his knife and applied pressure to the batarian's neck. The batarian flailed his limbs, trying to get out of his grasp. The batarian's arms dropped and he fell to the floor. The turian's eyes widened in surprise.

"Did you just kill him?" the turian asked.

"No, I knocked him out. Strangle a batarian the right way and you can put him to sleep for quite a while." Klenon explained casually. He bent down and took the batarian's credit chit.

"Here, you take it." Klenon said, tossing the chit to the turian who was still on the floor. Klenon walked away from the turian as if nothing happened. Several people were either praising him or ridiculing him. He continued to work his way through the crowds, trying to get to Taf's shop. He reached a door that led into a residential district. Before Klenon could reach out to open the door, it struggled to open. Someone was coming through from the other side.

Klenon patiently waited for the door to open. Before it did, Klenon coughed; he'd have to take his medicine eventually. The damaged door finally opened, reavealing a hooded person looking down at the ground. At first glance, Klenon could tell it was a female.

"Excuse me." Klenon said barely above a whisper.

"Yeah." The hooded woman said without looking up. Klenon walked past her, continuing his trek to the markets. He suddenly stopped. He recognized that voice from somewhere. He turned around, seeing the hooded woman slowly walking away. He wasn't sure if it was her, but he had to know. He quickly jogged to the mysterious woman, trying to catch up with her. Klenon finally reached her and tried to get her attention.

"Hey, don't I know you?" Klenon asked. The woman stopped, but didn't turn around. She merely shook her head.

"You didn't even give me a chance to see who you are." Klenon said. The woman hesitated, as if she didn't want to show him who she was.

"Nobody out here knows me." the woman said sadly without looking at him. Klenon instanly recognized who she was, but he couldn't believe it. He walked up closer to her and and gently grabbed her shoulder so as not to startle her. He turned her around and saw who he expected. She recognized him too, but said nothing. It was the admiral's daughter. It was Tali.

"Tali! What are you doing here? I thought I told you not to go to Omega!" Klenon said in rapid fire. He was surprised that Tali was here after he gave a clear warning that nothing good comes out of Omega. Tali was equally surprised that she would find Klenon, of all people, on Omega. She thought he wouldn't come near this place after what he told her.

"Well...what are you doing here?" she demanded rather weakly. Klenon looked around as if someone was watching them. He quickly escorted her to a balcony.

"Don't try to turn this on me. Why in the ancestors' name are you here?" Klenon asked again.

"I-I was looking for excitement, for adventure." Tali said honestly.

"Trust me, this isn't the kind of adventure you want to be a part of." Klenon said.

"Why not?" Tali asked, demanding an answer.

"If it isn't obvious by now, people here will kill you without hesitation. I'm going to take you outta here." Klenon said.

"Why?" Tali asked.

"I'm a Migrant Fleet Marine. Your father will have my head if I found you here and I did nothing about it. Its my duty to keep important poeple safe, that includes you." Klenon said, pointing at Tali.

"But I...you know what? You're right. I have been in danger more often than I'd like. Let's go." Tali resigned.

"Not yet. I have buisness to attend to here." Klenon said.

"What buisness?" Tali asked. Klenon didn't know how to answer her.

"I'll tell you later. But I need to get to a store not far from here." Klenon said, as he began to walk away.

"You tell me now, or I won't go." Tali said. Klenon turned around and saw Tali with her arms crossed. There was a short period of silence until Klenon spoke.

"Fine. But we need to get *sneeze* moving." Klenon said.

"What happened to you?" Tali asked, noticing his sickness, the crack that ran down Klenon's visor, the large blood stain on his suit, and the Exo-Pad on his chest.

"I got into a little...skirmish." Klenon replied, looking down at his barely functioning suit.

"Do you need help?" Tali offered.

"No, that's why I'm heading to that store. They have the supplies I need." Klenon said.

"I'm surprised that a store has things for quarians." Tali murmered. Klenon motioned her to follow him. Tali quickly walked over to him.

"So?" Tali said.

"So what?" Klenon asked.

"Why *are* you here?" she asked.

"The admiralty assigned me to rescue a quarian who got lost." Klenon simply responded. Rael said not to tell anyone about the mission, but he never said he couldn't reveal parts of it.

_It's not a lie if it's the truth._

"Really? I'd expect the admiralty to send you somewhere more dangerous since you have those biotics." Tali quickly debunked. Klenon shook his head and smiled.

_Defintely a smart girl._

"Well being in the Migrant Fleet Marines isn't all about secret mssions and impossible odds. Sometime, there isn't that much to do. You might have to rescue a quarian on pilgrimage just because we don't have anything better." Klenon said.

"Have you done this before?" Tali questioned.

"No. This is my first search and rescue. I've made good progress so far." Klenon said. There was a long silence between them as they traversed the thick crowds.

"So why did you look so sad when I found you?" Klenon asked.

"Oh, I was feeling a little...lost. I was completely on my own. I didn't know what to do or where to start in a place like this." Tali said.

"Yeah the pilgrimage will do that to you." Klenon said.

"So, how did your pilgrimage go?" Tali asked.

"Not as smooth as most but I got back." Klenon replied.

"What was your pilgrimage gift?" Tali asked.

"A small cargo ship. It's holding some spare rations for the Onara. Fifty quarians live in it. Not the biggest ship out there but I gave a new home to a few people and extra room for supplies." Klenon said.

"How were you able to afford something like that?" Tali asked.

"How do you think I know all about Omega?" Klenon asked.

"You came here?" Tali said, shocked that he didn't take his own advice.

"Yeah, I did mercenary work. The only thing people in Omega respect is power. You show you have it and you get their respect. Although, their version of it isn't really in my taste." Klenon said.

"So what kind of store are we going to?" Tali asked.

"Taf's Goods. He's the only reasonable batarian I've seen here so far." Klenon said.

"I might be able to buy stuff from him too." Tali said.

"Hey, hey!" shouted a voice. Klenon and Tali turned around and saw a human walking towards them. Tali sighed.

"What do you want?" Tali asked. From her tone, Klenon could tell that she was tired of this person.

"It's the end of the week! Where's the rest of my payment?" the human demanded in an unfriendly tone.

"Tali, what happened?" Klenon asked.

"When I said I was feeling lost, I didn't mention that I'm in a little debt problem." Tali explained, wringing her hands

"Yeah, so where's my damn payment?" the human demanded again.

"Listen, buddy, I'm sure however much she owes you she will pay. You just gotta give her time." Klenon reasoned.

"Shut your damn mouth you quarian pig. I wasn't talking to you." the human said. Klenon glared at the human.

"Look, I can pay you. I just need time." Tali said.

"Listen, I need that money now. You hear me? Now." the human said.

"Why?" Klenon asked.

"That's none of your fucking buisness." the human said.

"I'll pay you. I promise." Tali said.

"Promises don't count for shit here. Either you give me that money or I take something else." the human said, taking a step towards the two. Klenon subtlely got into a combat stance and held his hand over his pistol, ready to attack at a moment's notice.

"It doesn't matter. I will pay you." Tali said, trying to convince the man.

"Damn right you're going to pay me. Right now." The human said. He reached for a pistol and pulled it out of his holster. Klenon quickly pulled out his. As soon as the human leveled his pistol at Tali, Klenon shot the human's arm. The human fired off a random shot from getting hit. The shot hit Klenon's pistol, knocking it out of his hand and disabling it. The human fell to the floor and grabbed his arm.

"Well there goes my pistol." Klenon muttered.

"You fucker! My goddamn arm!" the human shouted.

"You should've known better than to threathen her." Klenon said in an unforgiving tone.

"I'm going to kill your ass!" the human shouted.

"You won't be doing any killing for a while. We're leaving. You're not going to harm her when I'm around." Klenon said.

"Fucker!" the human shouted.

"Come on, Tali." Klenon said, coughing soon afterwards. Tali nodded and the two walked away, leaving the injured human behind.

"Thank you, Klenon." Tali said.

"Don't mention it. It's my job to protect." Klenon said. Although the marines were ordered to protect the admirals at any cost, there was an unspoken rule that they protected relatives of the admirals aswell. Including next of kin.

"Sorry about your pistol." Tali apologized.

"You didn't do anything wrong. Besides, I still have my biotics and my new knife." Klenon said, pulling it out of it's sheath.

"You don't miss your old one?" Tali asked.

"No, I'm sure you've taken care of it." Klenon said.

"I have. It's the only weapon I have." Tali said, looking at the knife that was strpped to her shin. There was another moment of silence until Klenon spoke up.

"There's a shortcut not far from here. We can get to it from here." Klenon said, pointing to a small alleyway. Klenon let Tali go first then soon followed. The two turned a corner and saw a large opening ahead of them. Tali continued to walk until Klenon put a hand on her shoulder.

"Something's not right." he whispered. Every single time he passed through here there was a large group of vorcha. Now they were nowhere to be seen.

"Stay here. I'm going to check it out." he whispered. Tali quietly nodded. Klenon walked slowly to the opening, keeping an ear out for any noises. He reached the entrance to the opening and looked back at Tali. Klenon cautiously poked his head out and almost instantly pulled it back. Klenon narrowly dodged a brick heading for his helmet. The inertia of the missed blow caused the assailant to stumble in front of Klenon.

Taking the advantage, Klenon kicked the assailant in the stomach, propelling him to the floor several feet away. Klenon recognized the assailant's face, and saw that it was the human who harassed him at the Citadel.

"You!" Klenon shouted as he raised his fists. The human's turian friend appeared from the other side of the entrance.

"Look what we have here. Check it out, Ricky, its that damn quarian from the Citadel." Satorn said. Ricky got to his feet and looked straight at Tali.

"And he's got company." Ricky sneered.

"Why don't you hand that doll over to us, huh chump?" Satorn said. Klenon instinctively got in front of Tali.

"You're not laying a hand on her." Klenon said.

"We outnumber you, chump. And we're smarter now." Satorn said.

"You really think you can take me down this time?" Klenon asked rhetorically. Satorn pulled out a pistol from his pocket.

"Yes." he replied while aiming it at Klenon. Tali was starting to get nervous, Klenon didn't have a gun to make it an even fight.

"Just because you have a gun doesn't mean that you've got the upper hand." Klenon said as he glowed the blue aura of biotics.

"Oooh, you have biotics. Doesn't matter when we have a gun." Satorn said in a siniser tone. Klenon and Satorn stared at each other. Creating a tension that filled the air.

"Let's make this quick." Satorn said. He fired an unexpected shot which nearly caught Klenon off guard. He pulled Tali and himself to the ground. The bullet missed Tali's head by an inch. Klenon fired a throw as soon as he hit the floor, launching Satorn backwards and making him drop the gun.

"Keep your head down!" Klenon shouted as he got up and ran towards the thugs. Tali didn't know what to do besides doing what Klenon told her what to do. Klenon jumed into the air and kicked Ricky in the chest. Stumbling, Ricky threw a punch directed at Klenon's visor. Klenon caught it and punched Ricky in the throat. Klenon twisted his arm, punched him in the back of the head, and sweeped kicked him from behind.

Klenon continued to twist Ricky's arm until Satorn tried to kick Klenon. He let go of Ricky's arm and grabbed Satorn's leg. Klenon pulled him and and delivered a clothesline directly at Satorn's face. Klenon turned around and saw Ricky reaching for the gun. Klenon ran after Ricky and stepped on his wrist. Klenon kicked the pistol away from them and at Tali.

The pistol skidded in front of Tali's feet. Tali didn't know whether to pick up the gun. She looked up and saw Klenon beating both of the thugs. She decided to stay away from the gun. She might have done more harm than good.

Klenon kneed Ricky in the face, then he turned around and threw Satorn into Ricky. Both of them slammed into each other and Klenon kicked both of them into the wall. Klenon grabbed Satorn from behind and wrapped his arms around his neck.

Satorn began to elbow Klenon in the stomach. The air was immediatly blown out of Klenon but he held his grip. Ricky ran towards Klenon and threw a punch at his fragile visor. Klenon moved Satorn's head right in front of the blow. Ricky punched Satorn in the middle of the face. Klenon turned both him and Satorn around and kicked Ricky in the stomach.

Klenon jumped up while still holding on to Satorn's neck and kicked Ricky in the back of the head. Ricky fell down on his stomach and grabbed his head in pain. Satorn continued the elbow Klenon, but he wouldn't let go. Klenon suddenly felt as if he lost all his strength. Nausea was starting to set in from the infection.

Klenon let go of Satorn, grabbed his stomach, and began coughing violently. Taking his chance, Satorn began punching and kicking Klenon. He threw Klenon to the floor and began to brutally kick him. Ricky soon joined in the beating and punched Klenon. He was barely able to dodge punches that would break his visor. But the pain in coupled with the nausea, was enough to keep him down.

Tali stood there frozen. She was stunned at how fast the tables had turned. She didn't know what to do. Tali looked down at the gun at her feet. She began to wring her hands, an external indication of her nervousness. She looked back up at Klenon and saw him being mercilessly beaten by the two thugs.

Not finding any other option, Tali picked up the gun and tried to aim it at the thugs. The pistol shook in her hands, unable to properly aim down the sights.

"Keelah, help me." she whispered. She aimed the gun in the general direction of the thugs. She instinctevly closed her eyes and fired one round. The pistol's recoil almost made the gun fly into Tali's own visor.

"Gahh! Fuck!" someone shouted. Tali opened her eyes. Thankfully, she didn't hit Klenon. Ricky held his arm in pain. Blood was gushing out from his arm. Ricky fell to the floor and groaned in pain. Satorn turned his attention to Tali and held up his arms.

"Woah, woah, easy there, doll. No need to do anything rash." Satorn said.

"Get away from him." Tali said in a fake threatning tone. Satorn believed her and began to get up from Klenon. Before he could get all the way up, Klenon grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards him. Klenon punched Satorn in the nose with all the power he had. Satorn fell over and grabbed his nose.

Klenon painfully got up to his feet and stared at Tali. She hadn't moved at all. The gun was still in her hands, aiming at nothing. Klenon limped towards Tali and stopped right in front of her. She was obviously shocked from the ordeal. She had never attacked anyone before, let alone shoot them.

"Tali, you did good." Klenon said in an attempt to calm her. He slowly reached for the gun and lowered it down.

"It's over now, Tali. Thanks for that." Klenon said. Tali slowly nodded and dropped the gun. Klenon bent down and grabbed it.

"If it makes you fell better, I'll take it from here." Klenon said. Tali just nodded. Klenon put the pistol on his belt.

"Damn it, that's the second time we got outsmarted by a fuckin' quarian!" Ricky shouted.

"And by a doll too. Nice going Ricky!" Satorn said sarcastically. The female quarian outsmarting the two got Klenon's attention. If anything on the C-Sec dossier of Arenia was true, he may have found a break. He walked up to the thugs and grabbed Ricky by the collar.

"What quarian?" Klenon demanded.

"Like I'm gonna tell you!" Ricky defied. Klenon pulled out his knife and held it over Ricky's gunshot wound.

"You are. Now!" Klenon said. Ricky said nothing, which prompted Klenon to insert his knife into the wound. Ricky yelped in pain, but said nothing.

"We can do this the hard way." Klenon said in a cold tone. He began to twist his knife in the wound, causing more blood to gush out. Ricky looked over to where Satorn was, but the turian had ran off and abandoned him.

"No one is going to help you. What quarian?" Klenon demanded again. Ricky shouted in pain.

"Some doll in the Immortal Bar! Her name was Areno or Arena I-I don't know." Ricky shouted in pain. Klenon pulled out the knife and puched Ricky in the face, knocking him out.

"We have our missing quarian." Klenon said, getting up. Tali walked over and stared at the incapacitated thug.

"We've got to keep moving. The sooner I can get to Arenia, the sooner I can get you out of here." Klenon said.

" I am tired of this place. Everything has been going bad since I arrived. I guess we should start finding her then." Tali said. Klenon moved his head towards the hall and Tali followed him. Leaving the thug behind.

**What do you guys think? Did I portray Tali's first fight good enough? Hope so. Chapter 10 is coming around the corner. Ferret out. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Attention readers, this is chapter 10, that is all.**

**Mapped: I was going to do a twitter reference. But I couldn't think of one.**

**Hawk: You're the first to say that actually. I also noticed that Klenon's name is close to the planet Klendagon. Weird.**

Chapter 10: Arenia

Klenon and Tali were sitting on stools in front of Taf's Distinguished Goods. It was a relatively clean buisness despite the enviorment around it.

"Taf! You in there?" Klenon shouted, coughing afterwards.

"You really shouldn't strain yourself like that." Tali said.

"I can take a common cold. It's not like I'm going to cough my lungs out." Klenon said.

"That common cold almost got you killed." Tali said.

"But you took care of that didn't you." Klenon said.

"Barely, I was afraid of hitting you. I have had more training than the average quarian but it doesn't stack up to real-life experience." Tali said.

"You'll get use to it. Especially if you're a marine. " Klenon said in an emotionless tone. Taf walked out from the back room, wiping his hands with a dirty rag.

"Heh, never thought I'd see my favorite guard again." Taf said as he walked towards the two.

"How have you been, Taf?" Klenon asked.

"Things had gotten quiet since you taught those bastards a lesson." Taf said. He looked at Tali and held out his hand.

"Taf Ghasah." He said. Tali took his hand and shook it.

"Tali'Zorah." she said, surprised to find a pleasant batarian.

"So, how's the shop coming along?" Klenon asked.

"Ehh, things are holding together. I've run into a small money problem though." Taf said.

"What problem?" Klenon asked.

"I still make my living on selling the vital stuff; generators, heaters, things like that. Unfortunately, the only generator I have in stock started malfunctioning last week. If I don't get that thing running and sold soon, I won't be able to make the rent this week." Taf explained. Klenon reached into his wrist pocket and found that he didn't have any money. He inwardly sighed and looked back at Taf.

"I wish I could help with that, but tech isn't my specialty." Klenon said sadly.

"It's mine." Tali said. Both Klenon and Taf looked at her.

"It is?" Taf asked.

"Yes. With your permission, I would like to examine the generator." Tali offered.

"Heh, I'll take all the help I can get." Taf said. Taf opened the counter door and let Tali in. Taf pointed to the bright red generator that was sitting in the corner.

"If you can get that thing working, I'll pay you some money for your services." Taf said. Tali walked over to the generator and activated her omni-tool. While she worked on the generator, Taf walked back to Klenon.

"So how is that Tsunami I gave you. Still in working order?" Taf asked.

"Yes. Shame I couldn't bring it with me. I need to keep a low profile for now." Klenon said.

"Why? Still on your little trip?" Taf asked.

"No. I just need to recover some *sneeze* things." Klenon vaugely said.

"You sick?" Taf asked even though he already knew the answer.

"Yes, that's actually why I came over here." Klenon said.

"Well then what can I get you?" Taf said, going into buisness mode.

"I need some suit repair supplies and some omni-gel for my visor." Klenon requested.

"No problem, I'll just take it off the tab I owe you." Taf said. He turned around and watched Tali work on the generator. He was impressed at her tech abilities.

"She looks like she knows what she's doing. Where'd ya find her?" Taf asked.

"Here actually. But don't think of hiring her. I'm getting her outta here as soon as I get what I came for." Klenon said.

"Heh, you always was a softy, Klenon. But you've kept yourself alive here, that counts for something." Taf said. He left the counter and walked into the back room to look for Klenon's supplies.

Klenon looked around the markets. Numerous people were talking so much that it was hard for Klenon to hear himself think. He looked back at the empty store and observed Tali working on the generator.

"You really know what you're doing?" Klenon asked.

"Yes, why? Are you jealous?" Tali said smugly.

"No, I just never really cared for tech stuff. Unless it was gun tech." Klenon said.

"Uh huh." Tali replied.

"You think you're better than me, don't you?" Klenon questioned.

"And what if I do?" Tali inquired.

"Then...I really wouldn't do anything about it." Klenon said.

"Taf was right, you are a softy." Tali said.

"Ouch. Cruel words, Tali." Klenon said. He coughed loudly and groaned.

"This medicine better work." Klenon muttered as he reached for the green bottle on his belt. He puled it off and grabbed the small, cork-like device from his arm pocket and inserted it on the brim.

"Cheers." Klenon said as he put the bottle under his helmet. Taf returned from the back room with a small box in one hand and a packet of omni-gel in the other. He placed them both on the counter, in front of Klenon.

"Can you deliver the supplies to dock 138?" Klenon requested.

"Yeah. I assume you want to take the omni-gel?" Taf said.

"Want to get my visor repaired soon, so yeah." Klenon said, grabbing the packet off the counter.

"Have you heard any kind of news?" Klenon asked, tearing open the packet.

"Well, nothing new in Citadel space, but there is something you quarians might find interesting." Taf said.

"What could possibly be interesting only to us?" Klenon asked, grabbing a dab of omni-gel and spreading it on his damaged visor. The cracked glass repaired itself as soon as the gel made contact. Spreading a little more omni-gel, Klenon repaired his cracked visor. It looked as good as new.

"There were reports around the Terminus systems about geth sightings." Taf said. Klenon's eyes widened from hearing of geth sightings. Out of the cornor of his eye, he could see Tali slightly jerk when she heard the word 'geth'. Klenon pulled out the empty medicine bottle from under his helmet and placed it on the counter.

"Where were the sightings?" Klenon asked.

"They're scattered. There is no definite area of them." Taf said. Klenon began to think the worst. The geth could be preparing for an invasion.

"I'm sure it's nothing. Might just be rumors." Klenon dismissed.

"If you say so." Taf said. Tali came up from behind them and deactivated her omni-tool.

"Your generator is fixed. Some of the conduits weren't getting any power and the motor itself needed a quick tune-up." Tali informed.

"Thanks for that. You got real talent, young lady." Taf said. He reached into his pocket and grabbed a 100 credit chit.

"Take this for your services, ma'am." Taf said. Tali eagerly grabbed the chit and stared at it.

"Thank you, Taf." Tali said. Taf turned the Klenon and handed him a 500 credit chit.

"And this is the rest of what I owe you." Taf said.

"Taf, we both thought we weren't going to see each other again. Why keep the debt?" Klenon asked.

"I'm a man of my word, Klenon. I'd keep the debt even though I needed the money."  
Taf said. Klenon grabbed the chit from his hand and put it in his pocket. He looked briefly down at the ground and back at Taf.

"I don't know if I'll see you again, Taf. So thanks for giving me shelter in the middle of this storm." Klenon thanked.

"Don't worry about it Klenon. You kept my store from burning to the ground. You go back to that fleet of yours and protect it with all you got." Taf encouraged. Tali walked out from behind the counter and back to Klenon's side.

"Now go on. You got buisness to attend to and it's not fair for me to interrupt it." Taf said. The two shook hands one final time and Klenon walked away, Tali following him.

"Do you think what he said about the geth is true?" Tali asked.

"I'm sure its all just rumors. The geth haven't been outside the veil ever since they exiled us. They have no reason to come out now." Klenon said.

"I guess you're right. But still these rumors could have come out at any time. Why now?" Tali asked herself.

"There just rumors. The geth aren't stupid enough to do something as drastic as, say, an invasion. Klenon said more to himself than Tali.

"What if its only recon?" Tali asked.

"Recon is needed for an invasion. Trust me, it isn't going to happen." Klenon said.

"Yeah. Okay. So are we heading to the Immortal Bar?" Tali asked.

"Unfortunately, yes." Klenon said.

"Unfotunately? Why? We know where your quarian is." Tali asked.

"Immortal Bar is the roughest bar in Omega. More people have died there than in the most crime-ridden areas of Omega. And that was the last time I was here." Klenon said.

"Great. More violent places." Tali groaned.

"Good to see that you've gotten tired of Omega. We'll just go in and grab the quarian." Klenon assured.

"Hopefully it will be as easy as you make it sound." Tali said.

...

The two quarians stood before the Immortal Bar. It was infamous for its frequent fights, and more than half of them involved firearms. it was also notorious for its murders, drug running, and prostitution.

"Let's go. Keep close, Tali. One wrong step and we can forget about getting outta here alive." Klenon warned. The two walked up uneasily to the box-shaped bar. Klenon didn't like the idea of walking into a killzone without a gun. His biotics can only get him so far since he was still sick.

The two walked past the bouncer and entered the bar. They walked down a small hallway that had vid-screen on each side showing news, sports, or other shows. Klenon could feel eyes watching both of them. None of them were very soothing

They reached a large door and it opened upon detecting their movement. Before them was a large circled area. In the middle of the room was a big pillar that reached up past the second floor and into the ceiling. The pillar showed videos of asari strippers dancing in lewd outfits. Around it, there were the bars themselves, five bartenders all serving and mixing drinks.

Tali began to walk ahead of Klenon, scanning the architecture of the building. Tali was about to take another step before Klenon grabbed her shoulder.

"Watch your step." he said. At first, Tali didn't know what he meant; until she looked down. In front of her was a dead human female. It looked like it had been there for a few hours. None of the patrons were even acknowledging its prescence.

"Oh, Keelah." Tali said under her breath as Klenon gently pulled her back.

"How could they just leave her here?" Tali asked.

"Omega is filled with rebels, criminals, and pirates of every type. Some people want their 'work' displayed to the public. As a sign of their authority." Klenon said in a disgusted tone. He walked around the body and moved on. Tali stared at the dead female one last time.

"Keelah se'lai." she aid quietly. She then ran after Klenon.

"Start looking for the quarian. She could be anywhere." Klenon said.

"What does she look like?"

"Dark green and white suit, green veil, green visor, and a necklace with a blue stone." Klenon described.

"She wears a necklace?" Tali said, curious as to why a quarian on pilgrimage wore something that most found no use for.

"Yeah. I found it weird too. It's probably nothing though. Maybe its for sentimental reasons." Klenon said. They looked all over the bar, but Arenia was nowhere to be seen.

"Maybe she's up in the second floor." Klenon said. They both walked to the far wall and ascended the rusty steps to the lounge area. The second floor was smaller than the bar area. Like the bars, it was a circled area with a hole in the middle where the pillar protruded and connected to the ceiling.

The second floor wasn't as crowded as the first, only three turians and a couple of krogan. Klenon walked around the pillar and scanned the other side of the room. There wasn't anybody there. Klenon began losing hope of finding Arenia. He had run out of leads, there was no evidence of her departure or to where she left, and he had no other ideas.

"That's it. She's gone. She's not here." Klenon said in a disappointed tone. He shook his head and walked back to the stairs.

"Klenon! Isn't that her over there?" Tali shouted. Klenon instanly perked up and turned around. He saw Tali in front of the balcony pointing at a dark corner in the far left of the room. Klenon was close to going into a full-sprint but only jogged beside Tali. He was barely able to make out a shape in the corner. He squinted his eyes and barely saw a female quarian sitting alone at the table.

"Nice catch, Tali. I going back to the fleet earlier than planned." Klenon said, patting Tali on the shoulder. Tali smiled under her helmet, content that she helped her friend in an assignment that was, apparently, very important to him. She soon walked after him.

Klenon walked eagerly up to Arenia. As he got closer, he could see that there were empty tubes of what looked like dextro-alchohol. He reached the side of the table opposite from Arenia and waited for a response. The quarian had her eyes half-opened and didn't seem to notice Klenon. He knocked on the table which got her attention, but her eyes were still fixed in a listless gaze.

"Arenia'Sare?" Klenon asked.

"What?" Arenia questioned rather loudly.

"I'm Verrunt Klenon'Lehto vas Onara. The admiratly sent me to retrieve you." Klenon said.

"Hah! Nice one Rickity. I'm not going to fall for that one. You're just like that *hic* volus that was hitting on me...or he was hitting on the pole, I can't tell. Arenia said, slurring her words.

"Are you drunk, Arenia?" Klenon asked, knowing the answer was obvious.

"...Maybe." Arenia responded.

"Well, you sent the distress signal and I was sent to rescue you. It's pretty obvious why so let's get going." Klenon said.

"I know, huh? Gangs get so pissed over the smallest things and now...they're after me! Hahahahaha." Arenia giggled.

"Why?" Klenon asked.

"Oh you know, trespass here, blow up a building there." Arenia said bobbing her head left to right.

_Wow, I may have underestimated her._

"This is her?" Tali asked, walking up behind Klenon. Arenia looked at her with wonderment.

"Who's the chick with the toothpick arms?" Arenia asked with a hint of amusement. Tali balled her hands into fists. Klenon moved his arm in front of her.

"This is Admiral Zorah's daughter. Listen, Arenia, you have something the admiralty needs. Something we all need. I'm going to get you outta here and take you to the flotilla." Klenon said, putting his hands on the table.

"The flotilla? THE FLOTILLA! I'm not going back to the flotilla!" Arenia yelled.

"Why not?"

"I have...my reasons...which are mine." Arenia said, using drunk logic.

"Whatever those reasons may be, they are nothing compared to what you have with you, Arenia." Klenon harshly whispered.

"I'm not *hic* going. That is final." Arenia said, sitting back in her seat and crossing her arms. Klenon was starting to get irritated at the quarian's stubborness.

"Arenia, you're coming with me. Whether you want to or not." Klenon said with clenched teeth.

"Is that a *hic* threat?" Arenia said while getting up from her seat and placing her hands on the table. Tali watched both of them give death-glares at each other. The tensions between the two was growing by the second. Klenon could see that Arenia was reaching for something on her belt. Not taking a chance, Klenon began moving towards his pistol.

Tali was about to get between the two until a loud shot rang out. There was a hole in the wall behind Arenia. The shot had barely missed her. Klenon turned around and drew his gun at the source of the shot. A turian walked up to the quarians with a shotgun in one hand and a pistol in the other.

"I believe you have something of ours." he said, leveling his shotgun with one hand.

"I told you, the three armed hanar took it." Arenia slurred. Klenon looked back at her with a raised brow.

"You should sit this one out." Klenon suggested.

"Whatever rocks your boat." Arenia said, propping her feet on the table. Klenon looked back at the turian.

"If you mean the girl, then you're out of luck. She's coming with us." Klenon said.

"She owes my bosses something, and I intend to earn my paycheck today." the turian growled.

"Find some other way. Unless you want to lose an arm." Klenon said codly. Now there was another stand-off; and this one was more deadly. Four batarians ran up the stairs, all wielding assault rifles, and aimed at Klenon. All of the patrons, except for the krogan, quickly ran down the first floor.

_Things can never be easy can they?_

Another loud shot rang out, but it wasn't the turian nor Klenon who fired. The turian slowly moved back and blood dripped from his mouth. Klenon looked up and saw that someone landed a perfect headshot on the turian. It was Arenia. The drunken quarian managed to fire her own pistol and hit the turian right in the forehead. The batarians began to fire on the poorly armed quarians.

Klenon biotically pulled the shotgun out of the dead turian's hands and grabbed it. He flipped the table with his foot and jumped over it. He pulled the drunken Arenia behind the table and Tali quickly followed him.

"What do we do now?" Tali shouted over the gunfire.

"Only thing we can do. Fight." Klenon said. He looked over to Arenia who was playing with her pistol and snatched it from her hands.

"Heeeey, give it back. I stole it first." Arenia complained. Klenon noticed she wasn't slurring anymore. She was starting to sober up. Klenon cocked the shotgun with one hand and put it in fron of Tali.

"I know this isn't the most ideal situation, but we need to have every hand with a gun right now. Excluding her." Klenon said, motioning his head towards Arenia.

"Why don't you use it? You're the better fighter." Tali said.

"Yeah, but I'm horrible with shotguns." Klenon said.

"That's not much of a reason." Tali replied.

"Tali, you'll never find out your true potential unless you kick it into high gear." Klenon said. Tali stared at the shotgun and grabbed it from his hands.

"Now let's show these bastards what quarians can do." Klenon said as he brought up his two pistols. He jumped up and fired both of his pistols. Both shots hit their mark. The batarian fell to the floor, grabbing his chest. The constant barrage of gunfire was chipping away at the table.

"Why isn't anyone coming to help us?" Tali shouted.

"This is Omega. As long as it doesn't involve them, they don't care!" Klenon replied. Tali popped out from cover and shot an advancing batarian. She only paused for a second before resuming to fire.

"Tali, how many are there?" Klenon shouted.

"Atleast five from what I can tell. There might be reinforcements." Tali said. Arenia tried to climb over Klenon to grab her pistol, but he held it out of her reach.

"You're not getting this back." Klenon said.

"But I want it." Arenia complained.

"Arenia, if I give you this gun we're all going to be in danger. The best you can do is almost hit a guy." Klenon said. Arenia made a child-like pout and crossed her arms.

_She's an...interesting drunk._

Klenon fired a warp that hit a batarian in the head, turning it into a bloody pulp. With only three batarians left, Klenon thought this fight would be over soon. A large, intimidating figure walked up the stairs and pulled out a shotgun. It was a krogan. He fired round after round as he closed in on the conered quarians.

"How are we going to take him out?" Tali shouted. Klenon looked around for any object that could quickly neutralize the krogan. He then heard a faint snore. He turned his head in the direction of its source and saw Arenia with her eyes closed. She was sleeping.

"You have got to be kidding me." Klenon said, dumbfounded.

"What?"

"Arenia is sleeping!" Klenon said. He popped out and shot the krogan with his pistols, with minimal results. The krogan was hardly fazed.

"What was in that alchohol she drank?" Tali asked.

"I don't know, but she can't hold her liqour." Klenon said. The table was suddenly lifted into the air. The krogan grabbed the destroyed table and threw it across the room. Tali fired a slug at point- blank at the krogan chest. The krogan stumbled slightly before regaining his footing. He was suddenly tackled by Klenon, pushing as hard as he could. The krogan laughed in amusement. He grabbed Klenon with his two enormous hands and lifted him into the air.

Tali, now without cover, pulled Arenia over to a smaller table next to the balcony. It barely had enough room for the two of them. All the batarians were focused on Tali and Arenia. Klenon and the krogan were in their own fight.

The krogan squeezed Klenon with a fraction of his power. Klenon tried to pry himself out of the krogan's hands, but he was too strong.

"Did you not suspect that I would be stronger than you?" The krogan laughed.

"Actually, I was counting on it." Klenon said. He reached forwards and grabbed the krogan's eyes. He began to fire warps that instantly connected with the krogan's eyes. The krogan grunted in pain, but still tried to squeeze the life out of Klenon.

Klenon began to fire the warps at a faster pace. Blood was steadily streaming from the krogan's face. Klenon fired a throw with all the energy he could create. The krogan let go of Klenon and flew back into the batarians.

Before the korgan made contact with his group he started to float in mid-air. The krogan was violently thrown back at Klenon. He pulled out his knife and waited for the right moment. In a split-second Klenon jumped up and kicked the krogan to the ground. When his foot made contact, he biotically jumped into the air, flying forty feet high.

Klenon held his knife in both of his hands and fell back to the krogan. Klenon raised his knife up and stabbed the krogan through the plate on his head, killing him instantly. The batarians turned their fire to Klenon, who immediatly flipped over another table beside him and hid behind it.

"How are you holding, Tals?" Klenon asked, using her old nickname.

"Still breathing. Arenia woke up, but now she wants my shotgun." Tali said.

"Just ignore her. We can take the rest of these guys out." Klenon said. He took out his pistols again and fired both continuously. One batarian was shot in the knee, collapsing his entire form. Tali finished off the injured batarian. Now that there was only two left. They were staring to get desperate. One of the batarians threw a tech mine at Tali's table. Klenon grabbed it biotically and threw it back at the batarian.

_Return to sender_

The tech mine stuck on the batarians chest and exploded, causing his entrails to spew all over the floor.

The last batarian was shaking in fear. He dropped his gun and ran down the stairs.

"That was unexpected." Tali commented, getting out from her cover.

"Gangs often cower in fear when they don't have the numbers." Klenon replied. Klenon walked over and grabbed Arenia by the arm and hoisted her up.

"Now that you've seen the violence of Omega first hand, you have a good enough reason to come with me." Klenon said.

"Well, jeez. If you wanted me to come with you, you should have said please." Arenia replied.

"Let's go, Arenia." Klenon said wearily. He just wanted this mission to end. He grabbed Arenia's hand and escorted her down the stairs.

"Ow, you're hurting my arm. Hahahahaha." Arenia giggled.

"Sounds like you're going to have a handful." Tali snickered as she put her shotgun on her lower back.

"Don't remind me." Klenon muttered.

The three walked down the stairs and saw a sight to behold. Every single patron was still resuming their day. It was as if they didn't hear the shooting upstairs.

"Unhelpful bosh'tets." Klenon muttered.

"You guys are dead! I'm gonna get the rest of my gang and we're going to come after your ass!" the batarian shouted from the entrance of the bar. He then quickly retreated outside.

"We better leave Omega now. Our welcome is offically worn out." Klenon said as he dragged Arenia out of the bar. Now that they were back into the bustling streets of Omega, Klenon began walking towards the nearest docking bay.

"Tali, I'd be more comfortable if you came with me, but a few restrictions prevent that from happening." Klenon said. He was heading straight back to the fleet once he got off Omega and quarians on pilgrimage weren't allowed to come back unless they had found their gift.

Plus, Klenon had to ask Arenia about the geth data she had. Even though Klenon told Tali parts of the mission, he was still not allowed to expose all of it. The chance of her finding out would be too great even though Klenon trusted her.

"Then what are we going to do?" Tali asked.

"I'm going to pay for your transport off-world. It's the least I can do." Klenon said.

"That's really nice, Klenon. Thank you." Tali said. The three walked down the crowded streets, heading to the docking bay.

...

The three quarians were in front of a large blastdoor with a stressed out looking asari sitting at a desk next to it.

"Hold onto her for me." Klenon said, letting go of Arenia's hand. He walked up to the busy asari typing away at her computer.

"What do you want." the asari said in a blunt tone.

"I want one ticket off Omega please." Klenon requested. The asari scoffed.

"Look, if you're trying to find a way to smuggle your friends over there, do it somewhere else." The asari said.

"No, I'm just buying one ticket, ma'am." Klenon said in an irritated tone.

"Awww, it so nice that you're paying for a lady." Arenia said.

"Whatever." the asari said. She pressed a few buttons and a red ticket printed out from a small printer beside her computer.

"That'll be 500 credits, sir." the asari said. Klenon was a little disappointed that he had to give up his money so soon, but if it meant that he would get Tali out of this station, it was 500 credits well spent.

Klenon handed the chit to the asari and she gave him the ticket. The large blast door opened and the three walked inside. They were inside a square room with another door in front of them.

"Well Tali, this is it." We won't be seeing each other for a while." Klenon said.

"It was good to have a friend out here." Tali replied.

"Just don't get into more trouble." Klenon joked. Tali chuckled in response. She stood still for a couple of seconds then reached behind her and took off the shotgun. She held it out to Klenon, wanting him to take it.

"Like I said Tali, I'm horrible with shotguns. You take it. You're better with it than I am." Klenon said. Tali nodded slowly and put it back. The door slid open revealing a series of passages leading to different destinations.

"Good luck out there Tali. Keelah se'lai." Klenon said.

"Keelah se'lai." Tali replied. She walked through the door but before it closed she turned back around.

"Klenon listen, can I maybe send you a message in case I do get into trouble out there?" Tali asked. Klenon opened his omni-tool and pressed a few buttons.

"Yes you can, Tali. I just hope you won't use the address. But you do have a shotgun to...persuade people not to mess with you." Klenon said while deactivating his omni-tool.

"Thank you, Klenon. Stay safe." Tali said. The door slid closed, leaving Klenon alone with Arenia.

"Alright Arenia, let's get to the ship. I hope you hav-" Klenon said as he turned around. A brick connected with his helmet with enough force to knock him to the ground. He was slightly dazed from the attack. When his vison cleared, he saw Arenia.

Running away.

From him.

**Plot twist!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Before you guys read, I would like to ask a question regarding quarians. Do they have lungs? Everytime I take Tali to an airless or toxic enviroment, she has no air tanks on her back and the suit is skin-tight, preventing any storage of oxygen, assuming they breath it. Anyways, time to reply.**

**Mapped: Look on the bright side, she's one of those happy drunks, sorta. : )**

**BeGodlyBeLynn: Word of the day gadgets. They really work. And you know what they say, first time is always the hardest.**

Chapter 11: Consequence

Klenon stumbled to his feet and hastily chased after Arenia. He hadn't expected a bumbling drunk to surprise him like that. Arenia pushed a disgruntled turian and continued her escape. Within a couple of seconds, Klenon past the same turian.

Arenia entered the main street, manuevering through the thickest of crowds. Klenon, being bigger than Arenia, bumped into a significantly larger amount of people. Several pedestrians cursed at his unexplained rudeness.

_She runs pretty fast for a drunk._

Arenia ran into an open door and jumped down a small flight of stairs. Klenon soon followed suit. The two ran into a spacious marketplace, enough room to manuever. Arenia jumped through a merchant stand and continued running. Even though she attacked him, Klenon had to admit that Arenia was adroit in running away.

Klenon used up more energy and closed in on Arenia. She instantly noticed this and, unexpectedly, dropped to the floor. Arenia landed on her side, sticking her feet right in front of Klenon. Not being able to react quickly enough, Klenon tripped over her legs and fell to the ground. He moved his arms in front of his visor before he hit the ground. He looked up to see Arenia gaining distance from him.

"Nalt." Klenon muttered as he stood up. He broke into a full sprint and chased after her.

"Damn it, why won't he give up?" Arenia grumbled, looking behind her. She looked in front of her to see a large crowd of people. It was too thick to go through them all in time. Arenia looked to her left and saw a food stand.

"Good enough." she muttered. She jumped onto the counter and ran past the crowd. Klenon soon followed and jumped on the counter aswell. Both quarians were knocking over food and drinks. Arenia jumped off the counter and landed in a tuck-and-roll fashion, Klenon closely pursuing her.

An empty taxi was lifting off in front of Arenia. Thinking fast, she jumped on top of the it as it flew into the air, then jumped off of it. Klenon, taking an alternate approach, slid under the taxi. He jumped to his feet and chased after her.

Arenia ran down a small hallway and turned a corner. Much to her discontent, there was a wall in front of her, it was a dead end. She turned around to see Klenon just turning the corner.

"Look, I don't know what that was all about but-" Klenon said. He stopped his own sentence when he saw Arenia jump up to grab a jutting pipe and climb up the building using numerous cracks and other pipes.

"Oh, Keelah." Klenon said, astounded at her resourcefulness. He ran towards the same jutting pipe and climbed after her as fast as he could. Arenia made it to the roof of the building and ran to the other side. Down below were stacks of crates and a street next to them. She took a leap of faith and landed on the crates.

She looked up and saw Klenon at the edge of the building. She only looked at him for a second before darting away. Klenon reluctantly jumped down the tall building and landed on the crates. Klenon began to cough from his infection, he needed to end this fast.

He jumped off the crates and arduously ran after her. Arenia jumped off a balcony, grabbed a light pole and slid down. Klenon ignored the light pole completely and just jumped over the balcony and landed on his feet. Ahead of him, he saw Arenia running down a dark hallway.

_Not the best place in Omega._

Klenon used all of his energy to chase after her. Arenia reached a closed door and quickly tried to open it. The rusty door strained to open, making an audible grinding noise.

"Come on, you bosh'tet, open!" Arenia said with frustration. The door miraculously opened and Arenia ran through.

_This is one of those time when I wish we didn't have so much energy. _Klenon thought.

Arenia looked in both directions for an escape. She spotted her means of it, an empty taxi.

"Thank, Keelah." Arenia said with relief. She used all of her power and energy and broke into a sprint. She was closing in on the taxi.

50 feet

40 feet

30 feet

Arenia was running faster than she ever had in her entire life. It felt as if she was flying. She looked down at her feet and noticed something peculiar. Her feet weren't even touching the ground. She WAS flying.

Just then she noticed the blue glow that surronded her. She was turned around by the unknown force and saw Klenon leaning casually against the wall with his hand glowing blue.

"I should have done that a long time ago." Klenon said. He calmly walked up to the levitating Arenia and grinned under his helmet.

"So miss Sare, care to tell me what that was all about?" Klenon inquired.

"You've played your part. Just let me go and leave." Arenia muttered.

"Can't do that, Arenia. I'm on a mission and I intend to finish it." Klenon said.

"You can finish it without me!" Arenia shouted in anger.

"Cool off, Arenia. Let's go back to the beginning. Why run away if you sent the distress signal for help?" Klenon questioned.

"I'll never tell you." Arenia said quietly.

"What?" Klenon said.

"I'll never tell you." Arenia said even more quietly. Klenon got closer to her to hear what she said. Arenia kicked Klenon's wrist when he got close and the biotic field around her dissipated. She fell on her knees and tried to crawl to to the taxi.

Klenon acted quickly and grabbed her ankle. Arenia tried to kick him but he blocked it and got on top of her with his legs on both sides of her and pinned her wrists to the floor.

"I have got to stop underestimating you." Klenon said.

"You're too damn stubborn for your own good." Arenia growled.

"Enough with the shouting. Why did you attack me?" Klenon asked again.

"You wouldn't let me go willingly would you?" Arenia said rhetorically.

"Wait, so that whole drunk thing, that was an act?" Klenon questioned.

"An act you fell for, idiot. Now let me go!" Arenia said, stuggling to get out from under Klenon.

"Well I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm taking you back to the flotilla and handing over that data. I have orders." Klenon said.

"Orders that are never going to be follwed." said an unknown voice. Klenon turned his head and was hit with the butt of a gun so hard that it dented his helmet. He fell off of Arenia, out cold. Arenia looked up and the mysterious person and tried to run away. She was overwhelmed by the assailants.

...

Tara brushed off dirt from her dress. She and Darin were in the decon room in the ship. She had gotten into a fight with a human who couldn't take a hint. Darin was next to her, stretching his arm.

"Darin, quit acting like you did something." Tara said. Darin flashed a chit in response.

"That bet wasn't even fair. But I'm not complaining." Tara said, snatching the chit from Darin's hand.

"Do you think Klenon got his pilgrimage gift?" she asked. Darin shrugged.

"I guess we'll find out once we're inside."

The door slid open, revealing the familiar pure white interior of the ship. Tara entered the ship and looked to her left. She saw Rekko napping in his chair. She walked up behind him and flicked the back of his head. Rekko responded with a barely audible "hmmm?"

"Has Klenon come back yet?" Tara asked.

"No. Probably still looking for his gift." Rekko mumbled without looking at Tara.

"Its been over five hours. I'm starting to get worried." Tara confessed.

"Don't worry so much. He can take care of himself." Rekko yawned.

"But this is Omega. Every kind of cruel person inhabits this place." Tara said.

"He's fine, Tara. You'll see. Any minute now, he's gonna walk through that door with a pilgrimage gift in hand." Rekko assured.

"I hope you're right."

...

Klenon opened his eyes and scanned the room he was in. It was a small rectangualr room with lights that gave the room and blue hue. He tried to move his arms, but something was restraining them. He looked up and saw his wrists shackled to the wall. The same was with his ankles.

"Well look who's awake." a voice said. Klenon looked to his right and saw Arenia also shackled to the wall.

""Why is it that every I go, I get stuffed into a cell?" Klenon asked rhetorically.

"You aren't exactly the most favorable person." Arenia commented.

"Can we skip the insults for just a moment? Who the hell locked us here?" Klenon asked.

"A batarian from what I saw. Guess they're taking us as slaves. Great." Arenia said.

"Not if I can help it." Klenon said. He struggled in his shackles, trying fruitlessly to free himself.

"You know those shackles aren't going to come off that easily right?" Arenia said.

"I know. We need a back up plan. Think outside the box."

"We don't really have time to think. We need to act now or we'll never get a chance again."

"Give me a second."

"A second could be all it takes to get this ship moving!"

"Arenia! Just give me second. I have a tendency to discover ways of getting out. Let's not argue about the details."

The door in front of them slid open. Two batarians walked in with mischievous smiles.

"We found these two in Level 14. Both are in excellent shape for slavery, at least 20,000 for each." One of them said. The other, the captain from Klenon's observation, walked up to him and gave a wide grin; showing all of his sharp teeth.

"Excellent. Those bastard marines of their fleet destroyed our operations in Eletania. This shipment can get us back on track." he said. Klenon gave an invisible smile, he knew that his squad was the one responsible for neutralizing their base.

"Sounds like your guys can't handle a bunch of simple quarians, huh?" Klenon mocked. The batarian captain grabbed Klenon by his helmet and stared into his glowing eyes.

"Let's see how smug you are when you're taken to the labor prisons of Khar'shan. You're just another piece of garbage, like the rest of your race." the batarian replied, tossing Klenon's head aside. The two batarians began to walk away.

"You know you're just a degenerate, right?" Klenon said. The captain turned around with hate evident in his eyes.

"You're just hiding behind your men. You're not a real man, just a pathetic batarian who's out of his league." Klenon taunted. Arenia had to give him credit, he was good at provoking people.

"You think you're better than me? You think I'll hesitate about hurting you? I think you need to learn a little respect!" the batarian said with increasing volume.

"Let me go and we'll see about that." Klenon said.

_He can't be serious. They're never going to go for that. _Arenia thought.

"Jrent, unlock his shackles!" the batarian ordered.

_I stand corrected._

The batarian walked up to Klenon and pulled out a set of unusual electronic handcuffs. Arenia stared at the cuffs with curiosity. Klenon, however, knew what they were.

"Uh, we don't need those. I don't have biotics." he lied. They were restriction cuffs, created by C-Sec to keep biotics from using their powers. Whenever they detected a biotic signal from the brain, it activates, sending an electrifying shock that effectively nullifies the signal.

"We're not stupid. We saw you use your biotics on your mate here." the leader said, motioning his head towards Arenia.

"She's *not* my mate." Klenon said.

"The way you were holding her down suggests otherwise." the leader replied. Nobody could see it, but Arenia couldn't help but blush. Klenon was released from the shackles only to still have the restriction cuffs on his wrists. He seceretly hoped his plan would work.

"Take him to deck two. I'll deal with him personally." the leader ordered. The other batarian complied and dragged Klenon out of the cell. The captain looked back at Arenia and spit at her.

"Bosh'tet." Arenia muttered under her breath. The leader walked out of the cell. Klenon looked back at Arenia one last time, his eyes told her something, that she shouldn't worry. But there was something else, something more personal. Before Arenia could find out, the door closed; leaving Arenia alone in the cell.

"Keelah, help him."

...

Klenon observed everything he could about the ship. A lot of batarians, the narrow corridors, and every bit of viable cover. He sacrificed his well-being to learn more about the ship. Such was the life of every single Migrant Fleet Marine. He was grasped violently and was thrown into a room with blood stains on the floor. The stains had different colors; blue, orange, purple, and red.

Klenon got to his knees and looked back at the door. The two batarians closed and locked it.

"You going to regret every single word that came out of your damn mouth!" the captain said as he walked up the Klenon. He was a sitting duck, he had no guns, no biotics, and his knife was missing.

"The only thing I regret is not snapping your neck when I had the chance." Klenon responded. It was true, there were numerous occasions where he would be able to kill the batarian before he realized what had happened; but doing so would have the whole ship on alert and Klenon would be dead in seconds.

The batarian at the door pressed a button and a decontamination cycle began. Klenon was surprised that the slavers had decontamination equipment.

"You're going to beat me in a clean room? How thoughtful." Klenon said. As soon as the decon cycle ended, the captain grabbed Klenon's helmet and yanked it off of his head. The hoses that connected to the back of his helmet fell behind him.

The captain threw it across the room and it landed with a loud thud. He took a good look at Klenon's face, it was written with anger.

Taking off your helmet for someone was a gesture of utmost trust and intimacy. To rip off a quarian's helmet by force was considered to be a great insult.

"That is something *you're* going to regret." Klenon said, infuriated.

"See if I care." the batarian said nonchalantly. The batarian gave a fast slap to his face.

"You are going have a high price on your head. Those manners of your's can ruin that." the batarian said as he continued to beat Klenon.

"I am going to break you and laugh at your misery. You're going to be begging for death!" the batarian shouted as he continued to punch Klenon. He fell onto his side and coughed violently.

"And as you lay on the floor, broken spirit and overwhelmed with despair, you're going to wish that you were never born. You will call for death, but he will never answer you!" the batarian said, kneeling over Klenon.

"Liofo Raquen." Klenon muttered.

...

"Rekko, I really think something's gone wrong." Tara said in an apprehensive tone, pacing in the bridge.

"Tara, he can handle himself. He probably went to a bar to get a drink or something. Heh, I bet he's chasing some tail as we speak." Rekko chuckled.

"No, he's sick and thousands of people can prey on that. If he isn't back in a hour, I'm going to look for him." Tara said with a disapproving look on her face. Rekko gave a small sigh.

"Look, Tara, he got us out of the CS base alive, he fought the CS captain one on one and lived, and he survived a near fatal infection with only a cough and a cold. He can handle anything a dim-witted pirate or gangster throws at him." Rekko reassured.

"You have a point." Tara admitted. Rekko smiled, he finally won a debate.

"But I'm still going after him after the hour." Tara said in a determined tone. Rekko shook his head slowly.

"I can never win with you can I?"

"It's because I'm smarter than you."

"Let's not go there." Rekko grumbled.

...

Arenia looked down at the floor. She didn't know how long she was chained up or how long Klenon had been gone. She lost all track of time.

Her mind had been focused on what Klenon had done. To the untrained eye, it would look as if he did something stupid. But to her and every other quarian, he did it for a good reason.

Her mind raced through all the possible reasons; sneak attack, abandonment, observation.

Something was bothering her though. That look he gave her when he was dragged away. It looked as if he sacrificed himself for her, to protect her, as if they were going to torture her instead if he hadn't opened his mouth. She had never seen that look before.

Arenia immediatly felt guilt when she realized that. She felt disgusted with herself. She had attacked him, almost breaking his visor. The reasons she had to run away from him didn't seem so crucial when that thought crossed her mind. She didn't like feeling guilt. She could rarely get rid off it. Arenia began to regret everything she did when she met Klenon.

"I'm sorry." she whispered to herself.

The door slid open. Arenia instantly looked up and saw Klenon being dragged back in, his helmet was back on, his head was limp, and there were fresh blood stains on his suit.

"What did you do to him!" Arenia demanded.

"He wanted a fight and we gave him one." the leader said, walking into the room. Jrent threw Klenon to the floor. He didn't get up.

"You assaulted him! You tortured him!" Arenia yelled.

"You're a spirited one, aren't you?" the leader said in a diabolical tone. Arenia sturggled in her restraints, trying to take out her anger on the batarian.

"Do you want to be next?" the batarian said. Arenia continued to try to get out of her shackles.

"Jrent, unlock her shackles. We'll come back for you when we're done...preparing." the leader said in a maniacal tone. The batarian put cuffs on Arenia and unlocked her shackles. Arenia tried to hit the Jrent with her cuffs, but he restrained her.

"You quarian bitch." Jrent said, throwing Arenia to the floor. The two batarians laughed and exited the cell. Arenia crawled to Klenon and tapped on his visor.

"Klenon, are you okay?" Arenia whispered. He didn't respond. He was still breathing, but he was not conscious.

"Klenon, wake up. Please." Arenia pleaded. She grabbed his hand and activated his omni-tool. She made a medical scan and the diagnosis soon came up. He had several cracked ribs, a broken collarbone, and an inumerable amount of cuts and bruises.

"Klenon, I am so sorry." Arenia choked. She couldn't believe she was on the brink of tears. It had never happened before. She grabbed his omni-toola and tried to treat his wounds to the best of her abilities.

She then noticed something, his omni-tool was a military one, not a personal. She pressed a few buttons and scrolled through several menus. She found what she was looking for. A general distress beacon.

Recalling what she knew about military hardware, the beacon would send out a message to every radio in its radius. Someone could pick up the signal and rescue them. It was a long shot, but it was their only hope.

Arenia activated the beacon and deactivated Klenon's omni-tool. She looked back at his visor, looking for the glowing pair of eyes.

"Help is on the way, Klenon. Help is on the way. " Arenia whispered. Her words were only heard by the silence of the cell.

...

"That's it. I'm going to look for him" Tara said walking to the airlock

"Tara, relax! Klenon is completely fi-" Rekko said. A loud beep emanated from the communications console to Rekko's right.

"What was that?" Tara asked. Rekko scooted his chair to the console.

"It's a distress beacon. It has a quarian signature and...it's coming from a ship that two docks to our...right." Rekko said. Rekko opened the distress beacon's message.

"It's just coordinates. And It's signed by Klenon!" Rekko said in surprise

"I knew he was in trouble." Tara said, pulling out a pistol and running towards the door.

"You coming, Rekko?" Tara asked. Rekko was still sitting in his chair

"Why can't I ever be right?" Rekko sighed. He got up from his chair and ran after Tara.

...

"Captain, I'm picking up a distress signal nearby." The batarian communications officer said. The captain walked up behind the officer and looked at the message.

"Where's it coming from?" he asked.

"According to my calculations, it's coming from the brig. Those quarians are calling for help." the officer said.

"I'm not going to let them." the captain said. He left the officer and ran down the stairs to the brig.

...

Arenia was cradling Klenon's head in her arms. It had been a few minutes since she sent the signal. She only hoped rescue would come before it was too late. The door opened and Arenia looked up. The captain was standing there with a shotgun in his hand.

"You've got guts doing something like that. But I guess you're too stupid to realize that we picked up that signal too." The captain said with an aggravated tone. Arenia backed up slightly, trying to distance herself from the captain.

Two batarians entered the cell and grabbed Arenia. She furiously stuggled in their grasp.

"Let me go you bosh'tets!" she yelled.

"Take her to the clean room. I've got an idea." the captain said. He closed the door, leaving the unconscious Klenon behind.

...

Tara and Rekko ran down the docks. They had left Darin behind to take care of the ship.

"Which ship is it?" Tara asked.

"Uhh, it should be the one coming up." Rekko said, looking at his omni-tool. The two reached a threshold and peered inside. There was a door at the end of the hall guarded by two batarians.

"They must've taken Klenon as a slave." Rekko speculated.

"Not if we have anything to say about it." Tara said.

"We'll take them by surprise. Follow my lead." Rekko said. He put away his pistol and walked calmly towards the batarian. Tara followed closely.

"This area is restricted. Leave." one of the guards said in an unfriendly tone.

"Hey, easy. I just thought this was my ship." Rekko said.

"Get out of here, before I kill you!" the batarian said.

"Let's just be civil about this and-"Rekko said. He punched the batarian in the eye and shot the other with his pistol.

"Captain, there's intruders! Take off now!'" the wounded batarian said. Rekko shot him almost instantly. There was a loud creaking sound. Rekko looked outside a window to his side and saw the ship being released.

Tara ran up to the door and tried to open it.

"Damn it! The doors locked." Tara said, frustrated.

"Looks like we're doing this the hard way." Rekko said. He activated his omni-tool and contacted Darin.

"Darin, get the ship ready! We're leaving!" Rekko ordered. He deactivated his omni-tool and patted Tara on the shoulder.

"Come on, Tara. They're not taking him that easily." Rekko said. The two ran back to their ship.

...

Rekko and Tara ran through the airlock and came to a complete stop in the bridge. Darin was leaning over the pilot's chair, prepping the engines.

"Let's go! We can't let them get too far ahead of us." Rekko said, sitting in the pilot's chair. Darin looked at Tara and shrugged.

"We'll explain later, Darin." she said, moving beside Rekko. He pulled the ship out of its berth and turned it around. To his right he could see the slaver ship barely leaving Omega.

"Oh no you don't!" Rekko said, pushing the ship to full throttle. The ship accelerated out of the docks and after the slavers.

"Tara, what kind of weapons does this thing have." Rekko asked. Tara pressed a few buttons on a nearby console and said "Heavy GARDIAN lasers, disruptor torpedoes, and a P6-72 mass accelerator cannon."

"The CS sure love the big guns." Rekko commented.

"Darin, get on the weapons with me. We're taking that ship down." Tara said.

"Just hope that you don't take Klenon with it." Rekko said. The two ran to the large holo-panel in the center of the room and activated the weapons.

"The cannon is online. Disruptor torpedoes online. GARDIAN lasers are online." Tara said.

"Darin, you good?" Tara asked. Darin gave a thumbs up from the opposite side of the holo-panel.

"Rekko, get us close." Tara said.

"With pleasure."

...

"Captain! We've detected a frigate on an intercept course." the batarian navigator said through an intercom.

"They must have come for the quarians. Do whatever it takes to blow them out of the sky." the captain ordered.

"Yes sir"

...

"Rekko, we've reached close range with the ship. Should we really make this a knife fight?" Tara asked.

"It's the best way to take a ship down fast." Rekko replied.

"Alright then. Darin, switch to the GARDIAN lasers and disruptor torpeodoes. We'll switch to the main cannon only when necessary." Tara ordered. Darin nodded.

"Fire when ready, Tara. Make those bastards wish they didn't lay a hand on Klenon." Rekko said. Tara and Darin immediatly fired the lasers, hitting their mark.

"Those ships have weak shields. Darin, switch to the disruptor torpedeos." Tara said. Their ships fired the torpedoes, one of the missiles only hit their mark.

...

"Captain, we've lost our shields!" the navigator yelled in the intercom.

"Return fire!" the captain ordered.

"Yermal, return fire!" the XO ordered.

...

"Rekko, we're taking some hits." Tara informed.

"Time to manuever." Rekko said. Their ship flew over the slavers, firing the lasers right on top of it.

...

Klenon was still laying on the floor motionless. The restriction cuffs were still on his hands. The ship suddenly shook violently. Klenon coughed and opened his eyes.

"Keelah, where am I?" Klenon asked himself. He looked around the ship and noticed that Arenia was gone.

"Where's Arenia?" he asked himself again. He got to his feet and tired to seperate his hands. He remembered that the cuffs were still on his wrists.

"Well great."

Klenon walked to the door and tried to open it. It was locked tight. He sat down on the floor and thought hard for a few seconds.

"I really don't want to use it." Klenon muttered to himself. He quietly sighed. The ship shook violently again.

"Thank Keelah, this ship is under attack."

Klenon reached up to his visor and touched the clamps. He took a deep breath and took off his visor. He reached inside his helmet and tried to find what he was looking for.

His fingers touched a disk-shaped object and he yanked it out. It was a tech mine. Klenon, like all the other male quarians, had a spacious helmet.

He used that to his advantage and hid a tech mine in there until he had to use it. It would cost him a greater infection, but at least he would get out of here. He threw the mine on the floor and reattached his visor.

He grabbed the mine, activated it, and put it on the door.

_Let's hope this works._

Klenon activated the mine and ran back to the opposite wall. The door was blown open and Klenon ran thorugh the doorway. A consfused batarian was on his knees, back to Klenon. He ran up to the batarian and strangled him with his cuffs.

The batarian choked and grabbed at Klenon's hands. Within a few seconds, the batarian succumbed to lack of oxygen. Klenon threw the lifeless corpse to the floor and seraced him for a weapon. Klenon, instead, found the keys to his cuffs.

_Even better._

Klenon unlocked the cuffs and flexed his fingers.

_That's better._

He looked around and saw that he was in another room. The door ahead of him opened and a batarian walked in.

"What the he-" the batarian said. Klenon lifted him biotically and threw him towards him. His fist glowed with biotic energy and he punched the batarian in the head as soon as he came within range.

The batarian landed on the floor, lifeless. His head looked like a deflated ball. Klenon ran out of the room and looked around. He was in a cicular room with five different doors. The ship shook again and debris fell from the roof.

"Life support has reached critical levels!" the XO shouted over the intercom. Klenon heard what sounded like a female shouting from a door to his right. Klenon ran to the door and opened it. A batarian was about to hit him with his assault rifle, but Klenon grabbed it. He kicked the batarian, who released his grip from the gun, and shot him in the head.

Klenon ran to a door on his right and heard more shouting.

"Time to take back what's mine."

**I didn't want to say this at the top becaue it'll ruin it, but Czerynon, you are an observant reader to assume that Arenia wasn't drunk. That assumption was right. Keep that up and you'll find out the ending before I even write it. Props to you. Ferret out**


	12. Chapter 12

**Judging from two people's theories. I have to conclude that Tali and every other quarian are either:**

**A. Ghosts**

**or**

**B. Figments of Shepard's Imagination**

**Pick your fancy. :)**

**Sergius, if you're reading this, It took me awhile to understand what you were asking. Sorry for that. If you meant if Tali was going to go with Shepard, then yes. This is like a behind the scenes kind of thing. Sorry for the delayed reply.**

**Anyways, on with the show.**

Chapter 12: Truce

Klenon opened the door and 'threw' a nearby batarian into the wall. His attention turned to Arenia, who was strapped to a table and being shocked mercilessly. The captain, standing at the foot of the table noticed Klenon.

"Ah hell. Squad, open fire!" the captain ordered. Three batarians fired their assault rifles in unison. Klenon brought up an barrier, blocking every shot.

"Cover me, I'm getting to the bridge." yelled the captain as he ran to a door on the far side of the room. Klenon fired a warp at a batarian and pulled another. The warp hit the batarian in the forehead, disintegrating to top part of his head.

The pulled batarian was hit by a throw and was launched at the last slaver, pushing both into the wall and leaving a large crack.

With all enemies neutralized, Klenon ran to Arenia's side and destoyed a computer next to the table. Arenia's body relaxed and she let out a huge sigh.

"You showed up at the right time." She groaned. Klenon pulled off her straps and picked her up from the table, with one hand under her legs and the other on her back.

"Are you okay?" he asked sincerely, gently putting her onto her feet.

"A few burns, but I'm still moving." Arenia responded. The ship shook again after her sentence.

**"**The distress signal came thorugh. Heh, my efforts weren't in vain." Arenia mumbled.

"You did this? You're more clever than I thought." Klenon complemented. He looked at the door the captain ran trough then back at Arenia.

**"**We need to go after him. Bosh'tet got us into this, now we have to return the favor." Klenon said. Arenia walked to one of the dead slavers and picked up an assault rifle.

"I'm going to enjoy this." Arenia said with a smile on her face. The two stacked up against the door and opened it. Klenon peered outside and saw that the coast was clear. He motioned for Arenia to follow him and they walked to the end of the hall.

The corridor broke off into two different directions, the left and right. Arenia looked down the right hall and saw that there was debris blocking the way.

"Whoever is attacking this ship has some serious firepower." Arenia mumbled.

...

"Rekko, how's the ship coming along?" Tara inquired.

"Shields down 40% and one of our engines are more damaged than I'd like." Rekko said, manuevering through ship lasers.

"What about theirs? Their ship was little more than a flying piece of junk before we attacked it."

"What they lack in armor they make up for in firepower. That thing has more guns than a krogan has in a wet dream." Rekko said. Fire erupted from a console to Rekko's right.

"This ship is taking a lot of damage. We can't hold out for much longer." Rekko said.

"Keep moving and we'll take care of the rest." Tara said.

...

Klenon 'threw' two batarians at a wall and shot a third. Arenia was behind him and gunned down two batarians running towards them.

"Where's the bridge?" Arenia asked, lowering her gun.

"Don't know. Let's keep heading this way." Klenon said, pointing at the hall in front of him. The two cautiously walked down the corridor. Fire was burning from the walls and doors were malfunctioning, opening and closing rapidly. Sparking wires were hanging from maintenance panels.

"This place is a mess." Arenia observed.

"It won't be long until this ship gets blown to bits. We need to find a way out of here. Like an escape pod." Klenon said, peering down a hall. He motioned for Arenia to follow him and the two proceeded.

"I don't think this ship has any." Arenia replied.

"Then we better hope the attackers are here for us." Klenon said. There was a small period of silence between them.

"Listen, Klenon. I'm sorry about everything. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be in this mess." Arenia apologized. Klenon, unexpectedly, turned around and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. I always have to deal with this kind of stuff. Look on the bright side, at least these slavers won't be kidnapping quarians for a while." Klenon said. Water began to spray into the halls from the ceiling, it was the ship's fire system.

"Things must be getting bad. The ship is getting destroyed piece by piece." Klenon said, water dripping from his visor. He turned around and leveled his assault rifle.

Ahead of them a door opened and five batarians stepped out. Klenon brought up another barrier and fired upon the group, Arenia doing the same. One batarian was killed while the others hid next to the door.

Arenia began to move to a nearby crate while Klenon gave surpressing fire. Arenia took aim and fired a single shot, hitting a vulnerable batarian in the forehead. She gave a small snicker. Klenon advanced to the batarians, continually firing his rifle.

The ship shook violently, knocking Klenon off balance. The ship began to lurch forward. The crate that provided Arenia cover was sliding away. An inumerable amount of trash and debris began to slide forward; the batarians that were hiding were among the debris.

Klenon fell to his feet and began to slid down the near vertical ship. Thankfully, he landed on the door's threshold. He looked up and saw Arenia sliding down at a high speed.

Acting fast, Klenon reached out and grabbed her hand before she slid past him. Arenia was hanging onto his hand for dear life. Klenon looked past her and saw a horrid sight. There was a large window that looked out into space, and all the debris and the batarians were hitting it.

"Oh keelah. Arenia hold on!" Klenon shouted. A large beam hit the glass window, shattering it. The air was being sucked out at an immense pace. The water from the extingushing system was falling past the the two. To Klenon's horror, Arenia was slipping.

"Don't let go Arenia! Don't let go!" Klenon yelled over the vacuum. Arenia grabbed his hand with both of hers, but it wasn't doing any good.

_Not again. Not Again._

Klenon brought up his other hand and grabbed both of her's. Arenia let go with one of her hands, dangling precariously over the empty void. Water fell from Klenon onto Arenia's visor. He could see the fear in Arenia's eyes.

The air was still being sucked out from the ship. The water was making it extremely difficult to hold onto Arenia's smooth glove. Arenia looked around for any way to get back up, but the room was devoid of any loose object.

She looked back at Klenon with frightened eyes. Klenon tried to pull her up but the vacuum was too strong. The two made eye contact. Seeing Arenia so afraid was tearing Klenon apart. He furiously tried to pull her up, but something happened. Her hand was gone.

He was about to jump after her, but he noticed something. Arenia was floating. All of the air had been sucked out and all that was left was the zero-gravity enviroment. Arenia looked down and the void below her then looked up at Klenon.

Klenon was almost hysterical, quietly laughing. Arenia opened her omni-tool and within a few seconds, Klenon could hear a crackling sound on his radio.

"Could you get me out fof here? Please?" Arenia said in a slight impatient tone. Klenon could see that she was looking up at him with her arms crossed. Klenon's arm glowed blue and he began to turn Arenia upside down with his biotics.

"I don't know. I'm actually enjoying this." Klenon joked, twirling Arenia around.

"Klenon, if you want the data, get me out of here." Arenia said in a more impatient tone.

"Oh alright." Klenon said. He pulled Arenia towards him and grabbed her arm once she was close.

"How are we going to get up there?" Arenia inquired, pointing above them. Klenon looked up and saw a still closed door high above them.

"Give me a boost. I'll keep going and once I reach the door, I'll pull you up." Klenon said. Arenia nodded in agreement and locked her hands together. Klenon put his foot on them and Arenia threw him up.

Klenon steadily dirfted towards the drifted towards the closed door. He landed on the door and opened it. He poked his head out and saw that the hall was destroyed on one side, leaving a large hole with a view of the outside. There was, however, another closed door above him. He climbed onto the wall-now-turned-floor and biotically grabbed Arenia.

"Do you have a clue as to where we're going?" Arenia asked while floating towards him.

"No, but this is the only way to go. I'd rather not spend a minute down there." Klenon said. He grabebd Arenia's hand and pulled her up. Klenon reached up and opened the closed door.

Klenon then saw something out of the corner of his eye. Looking out the large hole into space, he saw a firgate flying by the destroyed ship. Several fires were burning on it.

"That's our ship! You called the guys I came here with." Klenon said, watching the ship float.

"Can we get their attention somehow?'" Arenia asked.

"How'd you contact me earlier?" Klenon asked, turning to her.

"I used my omni-tool and scanned your suit signature. It finds your radio channel." Arenia said, opening her omni-tool.

"Can you scan that ship?" Klenon asked, pointing at the firgate.

"I don't know. It's a little far, but I'lll try." Arenia siad. She aimed at the burning frigate and activated the scanner. Within a few seconds there was a crackling sound on both of their radios.

...

"I can't find him anywhere, Tara." Rekko said. tara was next to him and looking out the window.

"We have to keep looking." Tara said, attentively watching the destroyed ship.

"We've been at this longer than necessary, Tara. If we don't get repairs soon, we're going to end up like that ship you are looking at!" Rekko reasoned.

"I know about the ship's condition, but the the slavers' hasn't even blown up yet. Its just disabled. He might still be alive." Tara said. It was obvious that she wasn't going to let this go easily.

Their radio began to crackle to life and a woman's voice spoke.

"Hello? Is someone there?" Can you read me." she said. Tara walked towards the radio and responded.

"This is Tara. Identify yourself."

"Tara! It's Klenon. Listen, whatever you do, do not blow this ship up. We're trying to make our way out of this thing." Klenon said. Tara breathed a sigh of relief and responded.

"Got it, Klenon. Just hurry. Our ship has taken some heavy damage from the firefight. You're going to need to find a suitable exit point so that we can extract you."

"Where's the bridge? It seems like that would be our best extraction point." Klenon asked.

"Judging from your position from the radio signatures, the bridge is right above you. We don't know how many slavers are still alive so be on guard and stay alert." Tara said.

"Roger. Klenon out."

Tara backed up from the radio and grinned at Rekko.

"I am always right."

...

Klenon turned off his radio and jumped into the room above them, Arenia closley following him. he was feeling slightly uneasy to hear nothing but silence.

"The bridge should be a couple of doors away. Watch yourself, our rifles fell into space. We don't have any weapons to defend ourselves." Klenon said to Arenia as she reached the same floor as him.

"Who were those people?" she asked.

"Some friends that helped me out. Its a long story." Klenon said. He scanned the room and saw the door to their right. Klenon slowly walked towards it and opened the door. There was a small empty room ahead of them. They both entered and the door shut behind them.

"Equalizing pressure. Please stand by." a computerized voice said.

"Looks like we hit an airlock. There might survivors behinds these doors." Klenon said, looking straight ahead.

"Klenon, here, I forgot to give you this." Arenia said. Klenon turned around and noticed his knife in her hand.

"Where did you find it?" Klenon asked while he took the knife gently from her hands.

"I took it off of you before I hit you with the brick." Arenia said, chuckling soon afterwards.

"How'd did you do something like that?" Klenon asked, putting the knife in it's sheath.

"I'm very talented." Arenia said.

"I noticed." Klenon said.

"Gravity restored." the computerized voice said.

"What?" Klenon said in surprise. Both him and Arenia fell to the real floor, landing with a loud _clang _noise.

"Ugh, That hurt." Klenon groaned, getting to his feet and holding his hand out to Arenia. She grabbed it and Klenon pulled her up.

"The bridge must have it's own gravity generator and air supply." Arenia said.

"Which means that there has got to be some slavers behind this door." Klenon said. He pulled his knife out and sighed.

"I really wish I can keep a gun for more than ten seconds." he grumbled. The door opened, revealing five batarians, including the captain.

"Damn it, what do I have to do to kill you?" the captain said in frustration.

"Oh I dont know, maybe you should actually try?" Klenon said. The captain took out his pistol and aimed it at Klenon.

"Don't test me." the captain snarled. Klenon walked into the bridge and looked around. They were in a semi-circle room and all the batarians had crates and computers for cover. Behind them was a balcony with a sweeping view of the outside.

The bridge fell into silence, neither side firing a shot or saying a word. Klenon's form instantly turned blue and he 'pulled' a crate from a batarian with one hand and fired a warp with the other. A batarian was hit in the gut, but he was still alive.

Suddenly, all hell broke loose. The batarians began to fire thier weapons without pause. The crate that Klenon 'pulled' stopped right in front of him and he ducked behind it. Arenia slid right next to him.

"How are we going to get out of this alive?" Arenia yelled over the gunfire.

"We're going to have to take them down one by one. They have nowhere to run." Klenon said, looking at the batarians. He flipped the knife so that the blade was in his hand and held it out to Arenia.

"I'll pull them over here and you finish them off." Klenon said.

"Alright. Do it fast." Arenia said, grabbing the hilt of the knife. Klenon popped out from the side and pulled a batarian towards them. He landed on top of the crate and Arenia slit his throat. Klenon grabbed the slaver's rifle and tossed it to Arenia. She, in turn, gave him back his knife.

"Now we're even." Klenon said. Both of the quarians popped up and returned fire. Klenon fired as many warps as he could, only being able to kill the injured batarian.

"I'm going after the captain. Watch my back." Klenon said.

"Just don't get yourself killed." Arenia said. Klenon jumped onto the crate and biotically jumped high into the air. Two batarians tried to shoot him, but one of them was killed by Arenia.

The captain tried to shoot Klenon with his pistol, but his barriers deflected all of the shots. Klenon landed on top of the captain and the two fell to the floor. They rolled towards the balcony, trying to hit each other.

The captain kicked Klenon off of him and he hit the balcony with his back. He raised his knife and tried to stab the captain, but he grabbed his hand and held it back. Klenon grabbed the captain's neck and vice versa. The two struggled to move the knife to their opponent. Taking uneven steps around the balcony.

Klenon began to furiously push the batarian towards the balcony, pinning him to it.

"If I'm going down-" the captain grunted.

"you're coming with me."

The batarian grabbed Klenon with all of his strength and pulled him and Klenon over the balcony.

"KLENON!" Arenia shouted, witnessing the horrifying event.

The two fell down thirty feet and landed on glass, cracking it. Klenon and the captain got to their feet and began to exchange blows. Klenon kicked the captain in the stomach and delivered an uppercut, stumbling the batarian. Klenon tired to kick him again, but the captain caught his foot.

Thinking fast, Klenon jumped up and kicked the captain with his other foot. They both fell back on the glass, breaking it even more.

...

Arenia popped up and killed the last batarian. She dropped the rifle and ran over to the balcony. She looked down and saw the fist fight continuing without interruption.

"Give him hell, Klenon." Arenia said. She opened her omni-tool and attempted contact with the CS ship.

"This is Arenia'Sare, do you read?" Arenia said. The radio crackled in resons and a turian voice answered.

"This is Rekko, how are things down there?" he asked.

"Klenon's dealing with the last batarian. We're going to need that evac." Arenia said.

"We're coming in now. Klenon better mop up fast, there's no telling how long the ship will last." Rekko said.

"Just get here." Arenia said, and with that she closed the channel.

...

Klenon roundhouse kicked the captain in the teeth, knocking one out. The captain spit out his blood and growled.

"Why won't you DIE!" he shouted. He launched a punch in fury. Klenon deflected it away and punched the captain in the neck then kicked him in the knee, bending it backwards. The captain souted in pain.

"You fucking pig!" he shouted. Klenon wrapped his arms around his neck.

"It's time for you to shut the hell up." Klenon said. The captain then saw the knife on the glass. He quickly grabbed it and brought it down on the glass.

"You. Are coming. With me!" he shouted. The crack began to move in a steady pace throughout the entire pane of glass.

"Oh Keelah." Klenon muttered. He snapped the captain's neck and let go of the lifeless batarian. He jumped biotically back onto the bridge, next to Arenia. He peered over the railing and biotically grabbed his knife. Landing in his hand, he put it back into his sheath and turned to Arenia.

"You might want to hold onto something." Klenon said. Before Arenia asked why, the glass broke and all of the air was being sucked out. Klenon and Arenia grabbed the rails and held on for dear life. Klenon gritted his teeth together, trying his best to hold on.

"Where's our evac?" Klenon shouted.

"He said they were on their way." Arenia replied. The rails began to unhinge and became more loose.

"He better get here fast." Klenon said.

"Mulitple ship systems critical. Advise evacuation. Vessel is dangerously close to catastrophic meltdown." A computerized voice said.

"Scratch that, he better get here now!" Klenon said. Their radio crackled to life.

"Klenon, it's Rekko. We're under the bridge right now. We can see that a pane of glass is broken. Jump down and we'll catch you!" he yelled.

"What a dramatic exit." Klenon said. All of the air was sucked out and all that was left was the zero-gravity enviroment. The two began to float up. Around them, alarm were silently blaring their fatal message, this ship wasn't going to last long.

Klenon looked over the balcony and saw the CS ship hovering below them.

"Arenia, jump down." Klenon said. Arenia floated over the balcony and began her descent to the ship.

Klenon looked behind him and saw the numerous explosions around the door. He jumped over the balcony and floated towards the broken glass. He could feel the heat from the explosions behind him.

_I'm not going to make it in time._

Klenon flipped over so that he was facing the explosions and biotically pushed himself away from the ship. He began to fall faster and faster. He turned back around just in time to grab Arenia by the waist and fall together.

The ship's airlock opened, revealing Rekko wearing a pressure suit. He held out his hand and Klenon quickly grabbed it before he flew past them. Rekko pulled them into the airlock. The door closed behind them. All three fell to the floor.

"Most awsome escape ever." Rekko muttered. Klenon got up to his feet and brushed off his suit casually.

"I'm never doing that again." he said. Arenia got up and quietly laughed.

"That was pretty awsome."

Rekko got up and opened the inner door. The three stumbled out of the airlock and Klenon closed it behind them. Tara jumped up from her feet and quickly walked up to the three.

"Klenon, thank the goddess you're alright." she said. Darin walked up and gave a thumbs up.

"Who's this?" Rekko asked, taking off his helmet. Klenon looked at Arenia and back at him.

"This is Arenia. She...was on the ship with me." Klenon lied. Arenia was about to say something, but Klenon interrupted her.

"I had to rescue another quarian in peril." Klenon said.

"You're just breaking everybody out of a cell aren't you." Rekko said.

"I need to get her back to the fleet. She has her pilgrimage gift with her." Klenon said, looking at Arenia.

"What about your's?" Tara asked.

"I have mine too. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you send us both back to the fleet." Klenon said.

"I think the fleet is going to have to wait." Rekko said, walking over to the pilot's seat.

"The ship took some heavy damage during the fight. We're going to need to fix her up before we take her anywhere." Rekko said.

"And how long will that take?" Klenon asked, walking up behind him.

"A week." Rekko said.

"A week? Why?" Klenon demanded.

"The engines are close to complete faliure and the hull is basically paper now. And some of the critical functions need to be tuned up." Rekko listed.

"But that shouldn't take more than a couple of days." Klenon said.

"We're not going back to Omega. They're more likely to scavange our ship for parts than fix it. That means we have to get to the closest and most reliable port." Rekko said, opening a galaxy map on the window.

"Which is?" Klenon asked.

"Noveria."

"Noveria? We don't have the money to fix this ship there." Klenon said.

"You let me worry about that. I have some pull there." Rekko said. Klenon sighed and looked down at the floor for a couple of seconds.

"How long till we get there?" he asked.

"Seven hours." Rekko answered.

"Fine. I have some things to take care of anyway." Klenon said.

"You and Arenia better get some sleep. You've both had a long day." Tara said. Klenon looked at Arenia and motioned for her to follow him. The two began to walk away.

"Oh and Klenon, a batarian named Taf came by before we came after you. He left a box with some suit repair supplies. It's in the crew quarters." Rekko said out loud.

"Got it." Klenon replied, content that atleast his supplies made it.

Klenon and Arenia both walked silently down the steps and once they reached the bottom, Arenia turned to Klenon.

"I thought I said I'm not going back to the flotilla." Arenia whispered.

"If you don't want to go back to the flotilla, fine. But atleast give me the geth data I was sent for." Klenon whispered back. Arenia looked at him then quietly said "I don't have it."

"What? What do you mean you don't have it?" Klenon questioned.

"You have it." she replied.

"What do you mean?" Klenon asked. Arenia reached into a pocket on his collarbone and fished out an OSD.

"When I hit you, I didn't just take your knife. I put the data on you." Arenia said.

"Wow." Klenon simply said.

"Yeah." Arenia said. Klenon grabbed the OSD from her hand and put it back into his pocket.

"Look, Arenia, if you don't want to returen to the flotilla for whatever reason, atleast stay with us until we actually get back to the fleet. I'll just hand over the data and the report and you will be on your way." Klenon said. Arenia nodded in agreement.

"Its only fair that I return the favor after you helped me." Arenia said. There was a period of silence between the two but then Klenon broke it.

"C'mon, we do need some rest." he said. The two walked into the crew quarters and the door shut behind them.

**So now they're working together. I'm looking forward to the next chapter because we go into Klenon's backstory. Oh what fun. Ferret out.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry this came out later than usual. Had a few problems to take care of.**

**Mapped: You know who else is awsome? Everyone that reviewed and stuck by this story. Even people who only read one sentence are stilll awsome for atleast giving it a shot.**

**Danyael Prince: Thanks. I do try my hardest. :)**

Chapter 13: Operation: Dynera

"You know, I just noticed something." Tara said while looking at the galaxy map in front of her.

"And just what might that be?" Rekko said tiredly, selecting Noveria on the galaxy map.

"When Klenon introduced Arenia, his tone was as if he never met her." Tara started.

"And that's important?" Rekko asked.

"Yes. Before we went to Omega, he said he knew Arenia. Why would he act as if he never met her when he told me he did?" Tara asked. Rekko paused and turned around in his seat.

"You...have a point, Tara. Do you think there's more going on than we know?" Rekko inquired.

"I don't know. But we should question him about it soon. Something doesn't add up." Tara muttered.

...

Klenon and Arenia walked into the crew quarters. Pieces of cutlery and eating utensils were strewn across the floor. Some of the furniture had slid into a clutter next to the bunk beds.

"What a mess." Arenia commented.

"Guess we're going to have to do a little cleaning." Klenon said.

"You're not serious are you?" Arenia asked.

"I am. But don't worry, I'm not really in the mood for moving big things. Might aswell pick up the small stuff." Klenon said. He walked over to the kitchen and began to pick up forks and spoons. He didn't want to tell Arenia that he had to infect himself to save them both; the real reason why he didn't want to strain himself.

"Care to join me?" he asked. Arenia walked up in front of him and bent down. She began to pick up the utensils too.

"So...have you ever gone to Omega before?" Arenia asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Yes. And I learned a valuable lesson. Never go back." Klenon said in a emotionless tone.

"Things were that bad, huh?" Arenia said.

"Worse. That place is a symbol of decadence to the galaxy. I spent a whole year on Omega. I spent my Lifeday in a alley filled with filth and degenerates. I was completely alone until Taf found me." Klenon said.

"Who's that?"

"A batarian vendor. The only nice one I've found in my life. He gave me a job as a guard for his stand. I wasn't protecting all the citizens but...every little bit helps, right?" Klenon said as a statement than a question.

"He sounds like a good guy."

"He was. Working for him got me my pilgrimage gift and a ticket off the station." Klenon said.

"What did you do after getting off the station?" Arenia asked.

"I went straight back to the Migrant Fleet, I gave the Onara my gift, and joined the Migrant Fleet Marines. I wanted to protect our people, keep them from harm. Our race has been through enough. I want the quarian race to breath easy for once." Klenon said.

He reached for the last fork and placed it in an open shelf. He held out his hand and Arenia took it. Klenon pulled her up to her feet and let go.

"But even when you're home safe and sound, there are no guarantees that you've been through the worst." Klenon said quietly.

"Why? What happened?" Arenia asked. Klenon looked down at the floor then back at her.

"It's not worth bringing up. It's in the past and I've dealt with it." Klenon said remorsefully.

"You won't tell me?" Arenia asked. Klenon stared at her then said quietly "I don't know."

"You don't know? It's a simple question." Arenia said.

"I mean, I really don't want to talk about it. I just...don't know." Klenon said. Arenia gently grabbed his hand and lead him to a nearby sofa.

"C'mon. Tell me. Its better to let these kinds of things out. It'd make you feel better." Arenia reasoned. The two sat down at the sofa, but Klenon didn't say a word.

"I..." Klenon began to say. He looked at Arenia and stared into her eyes.

"Alright. You deserve to know. Who knows, maybe it will make me feel better." Klenon resigned. He took a deep breath and thought about where to start.

"I think I should start with the beginning of that day." Klenon said.

"Whatever makes you feel more comfortable." Arenia said. Klenon looked up at the ceiling and then began.

"It had began on the military ship, the Meraneste. I was a new recruit, just transferred to Kal'Reegar's command with my friend Ket." Klenon began. Arenia listened intently to the story.

"I don't know if you had heard back then, but the navigators on the Migrant Fleet messed up on their course plotting; and sent us a little too close to the Perseus Veil."

...

"Damn it, Klenon! Wake up!" Ket shouted. He violently shook Klenon, who was sleeping in his bed, and slapped to top of his helmet. An alram was blaring throughout the ship.

"Ugh. Ket, what do you want?" Klenon asked, turning to his side, away from Ket.

"We have an emergency! There is a geth dreadnought following the fleet!" Ket shouted. Klenon immediately got up and looked at Ket.

"A dreadnought? How the hell is that following us?" Klenon shouted.

"I have no idea. But Reegar wants us down in the hangar ASAP." Ket said. Klenon jumped out of bed and opened a nearby locker. He pulled out his Tsunami, his Kessler pistol, Tornado shotgun, and Reaper sniper.

Their barrack door opened and a female quarian wearing a black and white suit ran in.

"C'mon, guys. Reegar needs us down there now. Get your asses moving." Nolel shouted.

_"Nolel'Xen was Reegar's second in command. She was also the daughter of a influential ship captain, Daro. She was an excellent soldier. I looked up to her back then." Klenon said._

"I'm ready, Nolel." Ket said, attaching several tech mines on his belt. Klenon walked up next to him, his weapons strapped to his back.

"C'mon we have to go!" Nolel said, she ran down the narrow decks, Klenon and Ket closely following her.

"What exactly is going on? All I heard was that there is a dreadnought chasing down the fleet." Klenon said.

"That's pretty much all there is. Except the Admiratly Board wants us to do something. Reegar will explain once we're en route." Nolel said.

"To where?" Klenon asked. Nolel looked back at him.

"The dreadnought."

Klenon was close to stopping in shock.

"The dreadnought? We're heading straight for that thing?" Klenon said. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Welcome to the Migrant Fleet Marines, Klenon." Nolel said. The three ran down the stairs and opened a door. They ran on a catwalk to a lift to their left. Below them was the hangar of the Meraneste. They were numerous amounts of ships docked in its hangar. Some lifted off and flew out the airlock.

The three quarians made it into the lift and pressed down. The lift accelerated down and reached the bottom of the hangar bay. The small gate opened and the quarians sprinted out. Ahead of them was a large shuttle with several quarians running into it.

Next to the shuttle's door was Reegar, motioning the other quarians to enter it.

"Nolel, Klenon, Ket, get in! We don't have a lot of time." Kal said. The three quarians entered the shuttle, Kal following them. All three quarians sat in a seat and strapped themselves in. Kal closed the door and grabbed a handle to balance himself. He looked over the twenty quarians in the shuttle.

"Teyer, get this shuttle moving." Reegar ordered, turning his head to the open door. The pilot nodded and the shuttle soon lifted off. It blew into a full throttle and left the ship's hangar. The shuttle shook slightly.

"Listen up, marines. As you probably know, we've got a really big problem following the fleet." Kal said. He activated his omni-tool and read over the mission objectives one more time.

"Most of you are assuming that we're moving to another ship. We're not." Kal said. There were some mumers of confusion among the marines.

"We're heading for that dreadnought." Kal said.

"What?" one of the marines shouted.

"Is this a joke?" another said.

"It's no joke. The admiralty wants us to infiltrate the dreadnought, disable it's weapon systems, and recover any data we can." Kal said.

"So we're not going to blow it up?" a marine asked.

"No, that privilege has gone to Nanz-Qe. We're going to disable the weapons systems so they can sweep up." Kal said.

"We're doing their dirty work?" a marine asked.

"Unfortunately, yes." Kal said.

"Fantastic." Klenon muttered. There were some several voices of anger and discontent among the marines.

"Quiet, marines. I don't like this either, but we do what we're told." Kal said.

_"They forced you to go into a dreadnought? That's suicide!" Arenia said in disbelief._

_"We were the best of the marines. We were assigned the most dangerous of tasks. This was just like any other mission. The only thing different is that we're fighting an old enemy. A lot of quarians were anxious when they heard we were fighting geth." Klenon said._

"Nolel, give them their briefing." Kal said while looking at Nolel, who was sitting next to him. She pulled up her omni-tool and tapped a few buttons.

"Yori's squad is going to broken up into differnet units. Yori, you know the formations, tell them." Nolel said, looking at another female quarian down the row wearing a yellow suit. She nodded and brought up her own omni-tool.

"As for Reegar's squad, Gar and Jak, you'll be going through the top spire of the dreadnought." Nolel said. Both Gar and Jak nodded.

"Ket and Lota, you're going through what we assume is the engineering deck of the dreadnought." Nolel said. Ket brought up his shotgun and cocked it.

"Klenon, you're with me. We're going to punch through right in the middle." Nolel said, turning to Klenon.

"Got it." Klenon said.

"Remember, we're going in to disable the weapon systems. We're going to rendevous in the central area of the dreadnought, then force our way into the gunnery deck. Once the guns are offline, we'll start searching the ship for any data we can use." Nolel said.

"Only look for data that we can use. We only have a limited amount of time before the Nanz-Qe close in on the dreadnought." Kal added. All of Reegar's squad nodded.

"Let's kick some ass!" Jak shouted, bringing up his assault rifle.

"Teyer, what's the ETA?" Kal asked.

"About fifteen minutes, better hold onto your ass, it's going to get rough." Teyer said.

"You heard him, everyone get ready. This is going to be the highlight of your lives." Kal said.

"What about you, Kal? Aren't you going to help infiltrate the ship?" Ket asked.

"I'm going to go with the shuttle to make sure we have an exit off that ship." Kal said.

"Let's hope things go according to plan." Ket whispered to Klenon.

"When have things ever gone according to plan? When it comes to the military, things never turn out the way they're planned." Klenon said.

...

A small fleet of shuttles converged on the geth dreadnought. It's sheer size rivaled the flotilla's live ships. It looked similar to geth dropships, only that it had heavier armor and a large spire in the middle.

"Two-three, we are detecting multiple geth fighters leaving the dreadnought. Confirm?" Teyer asked.

"Two-one, we confirm! Large number of hostiles are moving towards our position." Two-three said over the radio.

"Evasive manuevers! We need to get to that dreadnought!" Teyer shouted. All the shuttles began moving to different directions. An inumerable amount of geth fighters appeared and fired at the evading shuttles.

"Fighter squadron one, four, and five, engage, engage!" Two-three ordered. Quarian fighters sped past the shuttles and engaged the geth. All of the fighters were in the dogfight while the shuttles closed in on the dreadnought.

"I'm hit! I'm hit!" one of the fighters shouted. It's engine caught on fire and exploded, causing the back half of the fighter to explode, the rest soon following. Teyer's and another shuttle closed in on the dreadnought.

"Two-five, you are clear for landing." Teyer said. The small shuttle moved closer to the hull of the dreadnought. A bright light emanated from the ship and it fired a mass accelerator round, tearing the shuttle into two.

"Two-five is down. I repeat, Two-five is down." Teyer said through the radio.

"Two-one, you are cleared for landing on the spire. I repeat, you are cleared for landing on the spire." Two-three said.

"Copy that, Two-three." Teyer said. Their shuttle began to fly up beside the spire.

"Gar, Jak, get ready." Kal said. Gar brought up his shotgun and Jak nodded. The shuttle stopped above the spire.

"Go, go, go!" Kal shouted as he opened the door. The vacuum began to suck out all the air. Gar and Jak unstrapped themselves and ran out the open door, floating down to the spire. The two touched down and signaled for the shuttle to leave.

"Operation: Dynera is a go." Kal said as he closed the door.

"Dynera? Who comes up with these names?" Ket questioned. Klenon just shrugged.

"We are reaching the port side of the dreadnought. Team two, standby." Teyer said as he steered next to the dreanought.

"Nolel, Klenon. You're up." Kal said. Nolel unbuckled her harness and stood next to the door. Klenon did the same and walked up next to her.

"Parking next to the hull." Teyer said.

"Make sure to stay in radio contact. We have no intel on the inside of that ship." Kal said.

"Wilco."Nolel replied. Kal opened the door and all the air was being sucked out again. Nolel and Klenon jumped out and floated towards the hull. The two landed on the hull and Klenon brought out a small blowtorch.

"Team two has landed." Nolel said through the radio. The shuttles door closed and flew under the ship.

"Proceed to objective, Nolel." Kal replied. Klenon pried off a piece of armor, revealing a small crawlspace. Nolel jumped inside and Klenon followed. Nolel landed and turned on a flashlight on the side of her helmet. Ahead was a small passage that led to different directions. Klenon landed behind her and pulled out his assault rifle.

"What are these passages for?" Klenon asked.

"The ship's maintenence drones probably use them as an easy way of navigating." Nolel said. She pulled out her shotgun and crouched down.

"It's going to get a little cramped." she observed. She walked through the crawlspace while still crouching. Klenon uneasily followed her. A door closed the quarians' entrance, preventing any escape.

"Kal, has team three landed?" Nolel asked.

"Team three has landed in the engineering deck. We're moving the shuttle to a safe distance until the weapons systems are offline." Kal answered.

"Roger." she said. Nolel walked past a dark intersection and kept moving moving.

As Klenon walked past the same intersection, a robot the size of an assault rifle jumped at him through the darkness. It had four legs and an assorment of tools in its front. Klenon was pressed against the wall as the maintenence drone commenced its attack.

"Gah, fuck." Klenon shouted as he tried to pull it off of his chest. Its large red eye reflected off of his visor. A small nozzle began to shoot fire dangerously close to it. A few loud beeps emanated from the drone as if simulating anger.

Suddenly the drone was shot off of Klenon's chest and floated away. Dead. Klenon turned his head to the source and saw Nolel with a smoking pistol.

"Watch your corners." she simply said. She holstered her pistol and continued the trek through the crawlspace. Klenon looked back at the dead drone and followed her. The two reached a dead end.

"Where to now?" Klenon asked. Nolel brought up her omni-tool and tapped it a few times. She then hit a nearby panel with it. Sparks flew from the impact and a small door slid open below them.

"There."

"Works for me." Klenon said. Nolel jumped down the corridor and activated her magnetic boots. She pulled off her assault rifle and sweeped the area. No hostiles. Klenon jumped down and pulled out his rifle.

"Kal, we're inside the ship. Proceeding to the rendevous point." Nolel said.

"Copy that. Gar and Jak have exited the spire and are proceeding to the gunnery deck." Kal said. Nolel moved her hand in a chopping motion, the signal to move. Klenon complied and briskly walked down the hall and stopped at the end of the wall.

He peered over and saw two geth walking away from him. He looked back at Nolel and put up two fingers. She nodded.

"Klenon, pull out your sniper." she whispered, pulling out her own. Klenon pulled out his Reaper sniper and aimed down the hall. Nolel stood next to him and aimed down the scope.

"Take the one on the right." She said.

"Copy." Klenon said.

"On three." Nolel ordered. Klenon breathed slowly and waited for the signal.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

On three, both fired. Klenon's bullet blew through the geth's neck, killing it instantly. Nolel's bullet flew through the flashlight head, dropping the geth on contact.

"Nice." she said. The two moved down the corridor, past the dead geth. Nolel was about to turn another corner before holding up a closed hand.

"I hear stuttering." she said. She peered around the corner then moved her head back and ducked. A large gun hit the wall and a geth prime walked around the corner. It's loud stuttering signaled other geth that there were intruders.

"There is no way that is bad luck." Klenon said walking back. Nolel walked back to him and leveled her assault rifle. She fired a few round that were deflected by the prime's shields. The prime leveled its own gun and fired. The two quarians ran away from bullets and took cover behind the previous wall.

Klenon saw that Nolel was holding her side. Blood from oozing from her waist. She quietly grunted from the pain

"Nolel, you're hit." Klenon said.

"It's just a flesh wound." she said. She pulled out a syringe from her pocket and injected herself with antibiotics.

"I closed the section seal, I'm not dying from suffocation. That's just humiliating." Nolel said. Kal was rubbing off on her.

"This isn't good." Klenon said. He poked his head out and saw the advancing prime.

"I have an idea, but it is stupid." Klenon said.

"Stupid is better than dead." Nolel said. He put away his sniper and waited for the prime to turn the corner.

"What are you doing?" Nolel asked.

"I haven't discharged my biotics in quite some time. That geth *is* made of metal." Klenon hinted.

"You're right. This is stupid." Nolel said. The geth prime turned the corner and, once realizing how close Klenon was, swinged its gun at him. Klenon ducked then jumped onto the prime and cplaced his hand on it's shoulder.

_Let's hope this works._

Klenon brought up his left hand and pressed it against the prime's chest. Klenon was engulfed in electricity and conducted it to the prime. Smoke emanated from beneth his hand and the prime began to stutter loudly.

Klenon pulled away his hand, showing streams of elecricity coming from his palm and placed it on the prime's flashlight head. He discharged more electricity, frying the prime's optics. It managed to grab Klenon and threw him off of itself. Klenon landed on his feet and charged up biotic energy in hands. He put them together and fired a throw with immense force.

The prime was thrown to the wall and floated in the empty space, dead.

"What do you know, it worked." Klenon remarked.

"Barely." Nolel said.

"Still worked."

_"You discharged on a prime?" Arenia asked, shocked at the feat._

_"It was stupid. But it did some damage." Klenon said._

...

"Kal, we're in the center of the ship." Nolel reported.

"Are Gar and Jak there?" Kal questioned.

"Yes, we're only waiting for Ket and Lota."

"Good. I'll try to get a reading on their location." Kal said.

There was a period of silence. The squad was in a square room that had three dead geth inside. Gar, Jak, and Klenon were talking amongst themselves.

"Ket and Lota should be at your location...now." Kal said. A door suddenly opened and Ket and Lota stepped in the room. They put away their weapons and joined the rest of the squad.

"Alright we're all here. How's Yori's team doing?" Nolel asked.

"They successfully destroyed the engines with moderate casualities. They're on their way to the bridge." Kal said.

"Roger. We'll make our way to the weapon's systems." Nolel said. She brought up her rifle and turned to the group.

"Alright guys, its time we made our way to the weapons station. Klenon, Jak, take point." Nolel said as she opened a door. The two quarians complied and pulled out their rifles. They walked down a large hall with open spaces on the wall next to them.

Through them, the team could see what they gussed were databases. Large blue boxes stacked ontop of each other and making a quiet buzzing noise.

"This place is filled with geth data." Jak commented.

"We're going to have to come back here later. Might be some useful stuff here." Ket said.

"Keep the chatter down and stay focused." Nolel said. The team reached a door and Jak opened it. There was a large room ahead filled with geth working on consoles.

"We hit the motherload." Jak said. One of the geth looked up and began to stutter loudly. Every other geth instantly looked up at the quarians then brandished their weapons.

"Get to cover!" Nolel shouted. All six quarians hid next to the door and returned fire. Lota and Ket began to toss tech mines into the room, killing only three geth.

"Klenon, Ket, start mowing them down!" Nolel ordered. Ket nodded and opened his pack.

"Ready for the fun stuff?" Ket asked.

"Let's start the show." Klenon said. Ket pulled out a large bomb with a pulsing red light and activated it. It was a fusion bomb. Nicknamed, the firecracker. Ket tossed it to Klenon and he biotically grabbed it. Klenon poked his head out and threw the bomb at a large group of geth.

"Klenon, aim for the weapon coils! We can worry about the geth later." Nolel ordered. Klenon nodded and looked at the four large glowing pillars at the end of the room.

"Ready?" Ket asked.

"More than ever."

Ket tossed the bomb and Klenon grabbed it biotically. He looked at the coils and breathed slowly.

"Boom." Klenon whispered. He threw the fusion bomb and it hit the coils, exploding on contact. All four coils blew up, killing a few more geth. Nolel quietly sighed.

"Kal, the weapon systems are now offline." she said.

"Great. I'll notify the Nanz-Qe. you guys get as much information as you can then get to the shuttle. We're going to land in the geth hangar." Kal said. Gar, Lota, and Nolel finished off the last few remaining geth.

"Alright, everyone form up." Nolel said. All the quarian's gathered around her and she brought up her omni-tool.

"The Nanz-Qe are going to be here soon. Everyone break up into their original groups and fan out. Look for any info we can use." Nolel said. All of the quarians broke off into different directions.

"Klenon, you're with me. We going to see what's in those databases." Nolel said.

"I sincerely hope its worth the time." Klenon said.

_"Did you find any data?" Arenia asked._

_"Yeah." Klenon replied._

_"What was it?"_

_"I don't remember." Klenon said._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"We found data. But something happened. Something bad."_

_"What happened?"_

**Again sorry this took so long. but hey, things like this happen. I just hope it doesn't happen often. Ferret out.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Part two of the flashback. I love me some backstory.**

**Psyentific: Not really sure what you're implying. Can I buy a vowel?**

**Mapped & AkSmiley: Cliffhangers, the bane of the reader's existence.**

Chapter 14: One One Eight Three

Klenon shot a dead geth one more time in the head. He and Nolel had fought their way back to the databases they had found previously. They were currently in front of the door that led them to that room.

"Kal, how much longer until the Nanz-Qe arrive?" Nolel asked.

"Around an hour and a half. But don't quote me on that." Kal answered.

"Got it." Nolel said. She walked to the closed door and hacked its locking mechanism.

"Get ready, Klenon. Don't know what we're going to find behind this door." Nolel warned. It slid opened revealing the same room they found earlier. There was a small path that led to the databases.

The two quarians walked down the path at reached the databases. Nolel bent down and activated her omni-tool. She scanned the nearest box and the results soon popped up.

"Damn it." she muttered.

"What's wrong?" Klenon asked.

"These aren't databases. They're processors." Nolel said, disappointed.

"Can you get anything useful from them?" Klenon asked.

"No, there's just a lot of geth platforms in here." Nolel said.

"We can always blow those up. Make things easier for the marines." Klenon suggested.

"Good point." Nolel said. She pulled out a tech mine and placed it on the processor.

"Move." she said. Klenon walked out of the room and Nolel followed within a few seconds. The door closed but before it did, a loud bang was heard.

"There's a few more geth that won't reach a body." Nolel said.

"We should keep looking for any data." Klenon said.

"Is there anywhere we didn't go?" Nolel asked.

"There was a door we didn't go through when we regrouped with the squad." Klenon recalled.

"Then we'll go that way." Nolel said. The two walked back into the room with the three dead geth and saw the unopened door.

"Hold up." Nolel said.

"What?" Klenon asked.

"Need to check on our squad." she said. She brought her hand up to the side of her helmet and activated the radio.

"Charlie, come in." Nolel said. The squad had been assigned different names since now they were working together instead of apart.

"This is Charlie." Jak replied.

"Status?" she asked.

"We're both okay, Nolel. We have faced light resistance." Jak answered.

"Roger, Alpha?" Nolel asked.

"Alpha is fine aswell. We haven't found any geth so far." Lota reported.

"Good. Everyone continue the current objective and keep an eye on the time." Nolel said. She turned off the radio and opened the door. There was a staircase that led down further into the ship.

"Into the belly of the beast, huh?" Klenon remarked.

"Not even close." Nolel said. The two descended the stairs. Reaching the bottom, Nolel noticed it was eerily quiet.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." she muttered.

"It's not like there's a monster hiding out in here." Klenon said.

"We haven't seen the geth in years. They could have already created a monster." Nolel replied.

"Just trying to keep the spirits up." Klenon said. Nolel intenly scanned the hall for anything moving. Something then caught her eye. A large shadowy mass seemed to float across the ceiling.

"What the hell was that?" Nolel said.

"What?"

"I saw something. I don't know what it was." Nolel said.

"It's probably your imagination." Klenon said.

"I don't think that was my imagination." Nolel said. She turned on the flashlight on her helmet and carefully watched the ceiling.

Klenon heard a light tap on the floor. He turned around quickly and aimed at the ground. There was nothing.

"I think you're right. There is something in here with us." Klenon said. A small shiver went up his spine.

"Keep alert. I don't like this at all." Nolel muttered.

"Keelah, I really hope this is just our imagination." Klenon said. The two quarians walked slowly down then hall then something peculiar happened. Both Klenon's and Nolel's radars were being jammed.

"What the hell?" Klenon said. He tapped his helmet as if it would fix the problem.

"There is no way the geth would have radar jammers in their own ship." Nolel said.

"Then what's doing this to our radars?" Klenon asked, getting apprehensive.

"I don't know. We need to quicken the pace." Nolel said. The two broke into a light jog. Nolel then saw another shadow.

"Agh, what?" Klenon shouted. Nolel turned around and saw something she didn't recognize. It was a geth, on top of Klenon, but something was different.

The geth looked as if it were made of organic muscle tissue. It was white and tubes ran out and in of its skin. Nolel fired her rifle but before the slugs made contact, the geth disappeared.

"What in Keelah's name was that?" Klenon shouted as he got up and leveled his assault rifle.

"I have never seen that before." Nolel said, aiming her gun all around the corridor.

"There was never any intel about these things. Do you...do you think the geth are evolving?" Klenon asked.

"I hate to admit it, but yes. It's very possible. Damn it, this is the last thing we need." Nolel said. As soon as she finished her sentence, she saw the shadowy mass again.

"Not getting away this time." Nolel growled. She fired her rifle at the shadow, which prompted it to shoot a strange orange lightning bolt at Nolel. After a couple of seconds, her gun overheated.

"Damn it. What the hell is this thing?" Nolel shouted. Klenon tried to fire his rifle but it beeped rapidly, it overheated.

"This day is just full of surprises." Klenon said. He threw his gun to the floor and glowed the blue aura of biotics.

"Where is that shadow?" Klenon asked.

"I don't know." Nolel said. She looked around the corridor until she spotted a white leg.

"There!" she shouted, pointing at the geth. Klenon 'pulled' the geth off the ceiling and it floated towards them.

"What is that?" Klenon said as soon as he got a good look at the geth. He bent down and grabbed his now-cool assault rifle.

"Whatever it is, it's dead now." Nolel said. She pulled out her pistol and aimed it at the geth's head. She fired one round that went through the geth's optics. The body went limp and ceased all movement.

Nolel holstered her pistol then activated her radio.

"Squad listen up, Klenon and I found some sort of geth. One that we've neveer seen before. They're quick, agile and can overheat your weapons. Please stay alert, these things can come out of nowhere." Nolel said. She turned off her radio then continued her way down to the end of the hall.

"This thing looks like something out of a nightmare." Klenon said, looking at the dead geth.

The two quarians reached a door and hesistantly opened it, fearing what might be behind it. What they found amazed them both.

There were hundreds of assembly lines, all of them were creating the geth that they killed earlier.

"Keelah." Nolel muttered.

"They could be making millions of geth in a matter of weeks." Klenon said.

"We need to get rid of these geth. They could make the geth army unstoppable." Nolel said. The two entered the room and continued to stare at the assembly lines in awe.

"How are we going to take this entire thing down?" Klenon asked. Nolel looked around for anything that could eliminate this problem quickly. She noticed several support beams lined up against the walls.

"The support beams. We take them down and the ceiling will come down right on top of the assembly lines." Nolel said.

"I do have some tech mines. They could probably do the trick." Klenon said.

"Sounds good. Let's make sure these abominations never see the light of day." Nolel said. The two split up and walked towards to closest support beams. The door they went through opened and geth came in, guns blazing.

"Klenon, get these guys off of me!" Nolel shouted. Klenon leveled his rifle and fired three rounds, killing one geth. Nolel returned fire with her shotgun, killing two more.

Klenon began to glow blue and lifted one of the geth off of the assembly line and threw it at the remaining geth. The impact knocked all of them against the wall, but it only killed one geth. The last one fell to its knees and struggled to get up.

"Bosh'tet." Nolel growled. She put her boot on the geth's back and forced it to the ground. She pulled out her pistol and shot it once in the head. Synthetic blood spilled onto the floor and on her suit.

"Keep an eye out for any more geth. I want this to be quick and quiet." Nolel ordered while she wiped the blood off of her suit.

Klenon nodded and walked back to the support beam. He bent down, put a tech mine on the base of the beam, then activated it.

"First tech mine is in place." Klenon said. Nolel put her own mines on the base of her beam.

"Second is up." Nolel said.

Within a few minutes, all of the tech mines were in place and were armed.

"Klenon, come on, let's get to a safe distance." Nolel said. The two were on their way back to the door they came through until Klenon spotted another door to his right. He was curious about what was behind it.

"What's in there?" he asked, pointing at the door. Nolel turned to the door and stared at it for a couple of seconds.

"I'm curious about what's in it, but I getting a feeling that I'm going to regret it." Nolel said.

"Well I wholeheartedly think we should check it out." Klenon said.

"Klenon, one of theses days you're going to get yourself killed because of your curiosity." Nolel said.

"Well that's too bad, because I'm not planning on dying anytime soon." Klenon said, walking towards the closed door.

"Nobody ever does." Nolel said under her breath. She reluctantly followed Klenon towards the closed door.

Klenon stopped right in front of the door and opened it. Inside was a large room with several terminals lined against the wall. The thing that caught both of their eyes was the large monitor on the wall across from them.

"This has to be a database. We can get so much information from here." Klenon said with a spark of enthusiasm.

"Guess your curiosity wins this one." Nolel said. She walked up to the large monitor and looked down at the keyboard.

"I'm not really sure if we should touch it." she said hesistantly.

"Well, I'm going to check out one of the smaller terminals." Klenon said. He walked over to one and began to explore through its contents. Nolel looked at him then back at the keyboard. She slowly reached out and pressed one of the buttons. Several menus appeared in response.

"Going to have to do a lot more than that." Klenon teased.

"Shut up, Klenon." Nolel replied. He just chuckled in response. Nolel turned back to the keyboard and pressed a few more buttons. She would occasionally look up to see if there was any information worth taking.

"Wait, Nolel, what's that." Klenon asked, pointing at something on the monitor. Nolel looked up and saw schematics for what looked like a normal geth.

"What's so special about this?" Nolel asked. Klenon walked up next to her and got a closer look at the schematics.

"This isn't a normal geth." he said while he pressed more buttons on the keyboard. The monitor zoomed in on the plans and gave greater detail about the geth.

"That organic geth we found isn't the only thing they're working on here." Klenon said.

"What else are they doing here?" Nolel asked. Klenon pressed a few more buttons.

"They're making more intelligent geth. One's that are completely independent from the neural network." Klenon said, amazed at this information.

"You mean to tell me that they can have geth that don't need each other for intelligence. That can operate on their own?" Nolel questioned, not beliveing such a thing.

"Yes. Instead of putting 100 geth in one mobile platform, they can have over a thousand in one." Klenon said.

"That's impossible. There is no way this can happen, we didn't create the geth that can achieve something as advanced as this." Nolel argued.

"It's very possible. It's right here in front of us." Klenon said. He pulled out an empty OSD and held it up in front of him.

"The admiralty needs to know about this right away." he said. Nolel was about to say something, but her radio was receiving a transmission.

_This is Yori'Utalla, we are under heavy fire from the geth, we've suffered heavy casualties and need immediate assitance._

"Yori needs our help, Klenon." Nolel said, closing the transmission.

"What about the data?" Klenon asked, almost as if he'd rather have the data than help Yori.

"We can come back for the data later. I'm pretty sure we'll have the time." Nolel said. Klenon looked back at the monitor then nodded.

"Alright." Klenon said. Nolel pulled out her rifle then ran out of the room.

"Eh, really got a bad feeling about this." Klenon said. He ran after Nolel, out of the room.

_"You didn't want to save them?" Arenia asked._

_"Believe me, any chance to save a quarian and I'll take it. I just thought we could grab the data then help Yori. I...going to help her turned out to be a costly mistake." Klenon said grimly._

Klenon and Nolel crawled into another crawlspace, much to Klenon's discontent. He closed the small door and pulled off a detonator from his belt.

"Goodbye, you geth bastards." Klenon said. He pressed the button and a loud bang echoed through the small space. Klenon suddenly felt very warm from the explosion. Ingnoring it, he followed Nolel through the crawlspace.

"Keep an eye out, Klenon. You don't want another drone almost killing you, do you?" Nolel teased.

"Very funny." Klenon said sarcastically. Both of them walked through the cramped hall, Klenon in front, and looked for any signs of maintenance drones.

"Yori, this is Nolel'Xen, what is your position?" she asked.

"Nolel, we're in the third deck. We can't hold out forever. We can really use some help here." Yori said in a desperate tone.

"Just standby for a couple of minutes. We're on our way." Nolel said.

Klenon turned a corner and to his surprise, a maintenance drone jumped at him. Thinking fast, he punched the drone in its red eye. The small spider-like drone fell to the ground and struggled to get up.

"Not this time you little bosh'tet." Klenon said as he pulled out his shotgun. He aimed and shot the drone at point-blank range. The mangled corpse of the drone drifted away into the darkness.

"That felt so good." Klenon said.

"Shall we continue?" Nolel asked.

"We shall." Klenon replied. He aimed his shotgun down the path and moved forward. The path led to a small vent. Klenon holstered his shotgun and pried the grate off of its hinges. The screws snapped free and Klenon kicked the grate out of way. Both of them could hear the gunfire and screams coming from the room.

"This must be where Yori is. Go." Nolel said.

"On it." Klenon said. He jumped out of the crawlspace and ran to the corner. Peering around it, he could see three quarians, including Yori, hiding behind crates in front of him, and seven geth shooting at them from the door.

Klenon ran around the corner and slid to the crates.

"Thank Keelah someones here to help us." one of the marines said.

"It's good to see a friendly face." Yori said. Nolel soon slid next to Klenon.

"Give me a sitrep, Yori." she said.

"We're down to four marines and two of them are wounded." she replied.

"Keep the wounded out of the fight. Klenon and I can mop up here." Nolel said.

"I'm more than happy to hear that, ma'am." Yori said.

"Klenon, shred 'em." Nolel said turning to Klenon. He nodded and took out his sniper. He popped up and fired a round without even looking through the scope. A geth's head exploded, shooting white synthetic 'blood' in every direction.

Klenon bent down and loaded another round. He glowed his blue biotics and pulled three geth towards them. Nolel stood up and killed all three with a few bursts from her rifle. Yori leaned out of cover and aimed her shotgun. Firing once, she injured one geth and Nolel finished it off.

With only three geth left, Klenon began to take a few more risks. He stood up and fired more shots from his sniper rifle. One bullet went through the optics of one geth, ripped through, and killed another geth behind it.

Yori stood up and cocked her shotgun. The last geth was in her sights. She fired once and the pellets ripped through the geth's metallic body. The force of the shot made the geth fly into the air several feet then land on the wall. The body slid down the wall onto the floor. Dead. Yori breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Nolel. We'd would have surely died if it weren't for the two of you." she said, putting the shotgun on her back.

"No one gets left behind. Can you guys get out of here on your own?" Nolel asked.

"I think we can. There shouldn't be a lot of geth since we pretty much wiped all of them out." Yori said with a slight chuckle.

"Listen, our evac shuttle should be getting here soon. All you have to do is survive until it gets here." Nolel said.

"We can do that. We'll just stay here for a while and take a much needed break." Yori said.

"Can you take care of the wounded." Nolel asked, pointing at the two bleeding quarians who were being pulled to their feet by the other marines.

"They'll be fine. Their injuries are minor. A quick dose of medi-gel and anitbiotics and they'll be back on their feet." Yori said, looking at injured.

"Sounds good. Make sure to keep in radio contact just in case you run into trouble again." Nolel said.

"Wilco. Now go on, I'm sure you have more important things to do instead of standing around here with us." Yori said. She walked away to join her squad and Nolel walked back to Klenon.

"I think it's time we go too. Let's go get that data." she said. Klenon nodded. A loud beep emanated from Nolel's omni-tool. She opened it and groaned in annoyance.

"You have got to be kidding me." she said in frustration.

"What happened? What's wrong?" Klenon asked.

"We're running out of time. We have less than an hour from what I can tell." Nolel said. She tunred on her radio.

"Kal, you there?" she asked.

"Kal here. What's do you need?" he asked.

"Where is the shuttle?" Nolel asked.

"The shuttle is on its way now." Kal said.

"Is it landing in the primary landing site?" Nolel asked.

"Yes. The landing area is clear from geth." Kal said. Nolel turned to Yori who was talking with one of her marines.

"Yori, we're going to need to move now. The shuttle is on it's way and the Nanz-Qe are on their way.

"Got it. Okay marines, we gotta go. pack up and get moving." Yori said to her marines. They began to pack up their equipment and helped the wounded move towards the door.

"What about you guys?" Yori asked.

"We can make our own way out. Don't worry about us." Nolel said. Yori nodded and walked after her team.

"What about the data?" Klenon asked.

"There's no way we can get it now. even if we did get it we'd be blown up along with the ship." Nolel said.

"But the admiralty needs to know about this." Klenon argued.

"They do. The best we can do is tell them what we saw and hope they believe us. Although, it is going to be hard to believe something that far-fetched." Nolel said. Klenon looked down at the ground, disappointed.

"Listen Klenon, we've done all we can. We know what the geth are doing here and we can tell the admiralty. That's all we can do." Nolel said. Klenon nodded and looked back up.

"Okay. Can you ask Kal how much longer until the rendevous?" Klenon asked in a lighter mood.

"Yes I can." Nolel said.

"Kal, how much longer 'till the rendevous?" Nolel asked.

"Thirty minutes. Just make sure you're there when we get outta here." he replied.

"Klenon, we need to get outta here." Nolel said, turning off the radio.

"Got it. What about everyone else?" Klenon asked.

"Charlie and Alpha are already en route to the extraction point. We're the one's farthest from the rally point, so we should move." Nolel said. She began to walk back to the crawlspace.

"Good, don't wanna lose anybody. This mission has been going smoothly." Klenon said as he walked after Nolel.

_"Things got worse after that. A lot worse. The mission went from smooth to absolute hell for me." Klenon said quietly._

**We are reaching the end of the flashback. Sad face. **

**Why does that last talk between Nolel and Kal sound so familiar?**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello Chapter 15. Oh how time flys by. There is actually a little treat in this chapter. Something I have never attempted in my life. Hopefully, I pulled it off.**

**Czerynon: Good to have you back. Cross your fingers. The end might be nigh.**

**Mapped: That was a Legion reference in all its splendor. Too bad he couldn't download the info. :3 **

Chapter 15: Unspoken Feelings

"It can't be much farther now." Nolel said.

"You said that ten minutes ago." Klenon grumbled.

"But this time I have to be right" Nolel said.

"Let's hope so."

Nolel opened a door in front of her and it opened, revealing a circular shaped corridor.

"Alpha, respond." Nolel said through her radio.

"Ket here, what's up?"

"What is your position?" Nolel asked.

"We're about a few feet from the hangar." he replied.

"Send us a nav point. It'll make things easier for me and Klenon." she said.

"Roger. Okaaaay...done. Hope to see you soon." Ket said, cutting the line. Nolel activated the nav point and saw that the hangar was ahead of them.

"We're actually close this time." Nolel said.

"Thank Keelah." Klenon said. The two walked calmly down the hall and watched for any signs of geth. They turned a corner and ended up in a larger, more wider hallway.

"What happened to all the geth? We couldn't have destroyed them all." Klenon said as the two walked down the large corridor.

"You have a point. We were outnumbered ten to one. That's no miracle." Nolel said.

"Then it means they regrouped to rethink their plans." Klenon speculated.

"They don't need to regroup to rethink." Nolel said.

"Then what would they do?"

"They'd lay a trap." Nolel said. As soon as she finished her sentence, fifteen geth turned the corner and fired on the unsuspecting quarians.

"Nalt." Nolel cursed. She took cover behind a small wall the jutted from the main one. Klenon did the same on the opposite wall.

"There's too many to fight at once. We're going to get killed." Klenon said.

"We have nowhere else to go. We fight or die." Nolel said. She leaned out of cover and fired her rifle. Klenon shook his head then did the same. One geth was pelted with slugs, knocking it to the ground and killing it.

"Klenon, find a way to mow them down!" Nolel said. Klenon thought for a moment then got an idea. He leaned out and fired a singularity. He had only tried once to fire one and it didn't last for more than a couple of seconds.

The ball of dark energy landed in front of the geth, enveloping four geth and twirling them around like ragdolls.

"That's good. Makes things easier." Nolel said. She fired her rifle at the defenseless geth and killed three of them. The last surviving one fell to the floor and stood back up. As soon as it got to it's feet, it's optics exploded and synthetic blood splattered all over it's comrades.

Klenon pulled the bolt on his rifle then leaned out of cover and fired again. Hitting a geth in the neck.

"Only nine left. We might make it out of here alive." Nolel said. Klenon fired his sniper again and blew through another geth's optics.

"This is actually a little fun." he commented.

"Glad to see the Migrant Fleet Marines are right for you." Nolel said.

"Beats using my biotics to lift heavy crates." Klenon said. He picked up a geth biotically and slammed it into the groud, crushing it's body. Nolel threw a tech mine and it stuck on a geth's neck. She detonated it and the whole head exploded, leaving a mangled metal stump.

"Not much longer now." Nolel said. Klenon picked up two geth at once and slammed them into each other. making a loud _clank _noise. They were dropped to the floor and did not get back up.

"Just three more left." Nolel said. She fired three rounds at a time and manage a perfect head shot on a geth. Another geth came out from around the corner, painted red with a large gun in hand.

"Rocket trooper!" Klenon shouted. The geth fired a rocket at Nolel, hitting the wall she was hiding behind.

"Damn it! Can't we get a break?" Nolel complained.

"I'll take it out." Klenon said. He leaned out only to quickly retreat before a rocket hit his visor.

"That thing has our number. We need a distraction." Nolel said.

"Like what?" Klenon asked.

"Shoot at it. Get it's attention and I'll take it out." Nolel said.

"Better than nothing." Klenon said. He leaned out of cover and fired his sniper at the geth. The rocket trooper fired rocket after rocket at Klenon, comitted to killing him.

Nolel waited for the right moment, watching the geth until a perfect opportunity presented itself. She then saw it. The geth was right next to it's allies. Nolel leveled her rifle and fired one shot, hitting the rocket trooper.

The rocket trooper stumbled backwards flailing it's arms right next to the other geth. Before falling backwards, the geth fired one more rocket. The rocket flew out of the gun and hit it's friends, killing the remaining geth.

"How convinient." Nolel said.

"Talk about luck." Klenon said.

"We don't have a lot of time left, Klenon. We only have a few minutes before the Nanz-Qe bring this dreadnought down with us. Start running." Nolel said. Both of the marines broke into a full sprint down the corridor.

"Nolel, you bettter get here now. The Nanz-Qe are breathing down my neck. I'll try to stall the fleet for as long as I can but you need to get here, double time!" Kal said over the radio.

"We're almost there, Kal. Just hold on." Nolel said. The two reached an intersection. The hall continued ahead and there was another hall to their left.

"Go left, go left." Nolel said. They took a sharp turn and didn't slow their pace. Klenon began to hear the subtle stuttering of geth. He looked behind him and saw atleast twenty geth turning the corner. He stared at them for a second, not being able to react.

That second was all the geth needed to start firing at Nolel and him.

"What?" Nolel said in surprise as she was shot at.

"There's more." Klenon said. He brought up a biotic barrier and took cover behind another jutting wall. Nolel soon joined him. She peered around the corner and saw all the geth firing at their little hiding place.

"Crap. I can't take much more." Nolel strained. Klenon then noticed Nolel holding her shoulder. More of her blood was pouring out.

"Hold on, Nolel. We can get through this." Klenon said as he applied a dose of medi-gel. Nolel quietly grunted in pain as Klenon touched the wound.

"We're not that far from the hangar. We can still make it." Klenon said.

"I don't know about the time we have, Klenon." Nolel said.

"There's plenty of time. Don't worry." Klenon said softly. He patched up her suit puncture and gently let go of her shoulder. Nolel peered back out and turned on her radio.

"Kal, we're pinned down! How much longer 'till the fighters get here?" she asked.

"You have two minutes! I can't stall the fleet for long." Kal said with urgency in his voice.

"Damn it! Klenon, flank those stragglers!" Nolel said, pointing at two geth walking towards them. Klenon ran out of their hiding spot and slid on the floor. He pulled out his rifle and shot both of the geth with two shots before he reached the other side of the hall.

"We need to go. Now!" Nolel said, coughing afterwards.

"Right. Just keep running. I'll cover you." Klenon said. Nolel began to limp away from the geth and down the hall. Klenon was right behind her, taking all of the shots with his biotic barrier. He returned fire, killing only a few geth at a time.

"We're almost there. Just keep running and don't look back." Klenon said. Nolel pulled out her pistol and blindly fired behind her. She dropped to her knees and coughed violently.

"I can't...I can't keep going." Nolel said with a hoarse voice. Klenon pulled her up to her feet with one hand and fired with the other.

"You can make it, Nolel. Hang on!" Klenon said. He dropped another geth and puleld Nolel all the way back up. Nolel kept limping down the unbelievably long hallway.

"Keep going. Don't stop for anything." Klenon said. A geth rocket trooper fired a missle at the two. Klenon caught it biotically and threw it back. Killing three geth.

"I can make it. I can make it." Nolel said, breathing heavily.

"Good to hear it, ma'am." Klenon said.

"Keep them off of us. It won't be long until we're safe." Nolel said. Klenon fired at a group of geth, killing two more.

"I can see the exit." Nolel said, pointing at a bulkhead door far ahead of them.

"Don't stop running now, ma'am." Klenon said.

"Klenon, I need you to open the door. I won't be able to do it." Nolel said.

"But I'll be leaving you vulnerable." Klenon said.

"Don't worry about me, just go and open the door." Nolel said. Before Klenon could act, the ship shook violently and threw both of them to the floor.

"You're too late! They're raining fire on the ship!" Kal shouted through the radio.

"Just wait a little longer, Kal. We'll be there." Nolel said, getting up to her feet. The ceiling above them began to give way. Klenon got up and pulled Nolel with him. They dove to the floor and got out of the way before the ceiling collapsed, blocking the way for the geth to pursue their targets.

"Klenon, move your ass. We gotta get out of here now!" Nolel shouted.

"Damn Nanz-Qe. They're going to kill the both of us." Klenon muttered.

"We have no time for complaining, Klenon. Just keep running." Nolel said. The two desperately ran towards their salvation. The ship shook to a dangerous degree.

"This isn't going to be good." Nolel said.

"We'll make it. We'll make it." Klenon said, clinging on to the last spark of hope he had. Something horrible then happened. A large section of the wall was blown away, exposing the two to the vacuum enviroment.

The force of the explosions within the dreadnought forced the two towards the hole. The quarians fell to the floor and tried to grab onto something as they slid towards the void.

The two quarians were being sucked towards the massive hole. Outside, they could see the all of the Nanz-Qe frigates and fighters firing at the dreadnought. Sections of the wall and various cable and wires were coming loose.

Nolel was being sucked closer and closer to the void of space. She flailed her hands around in a feeble attempt to grab onto something. Klenon grabbed her hand and grabbed a loose floor tile.

Just when things got bad, they got worse. A large section of a rod came loose and flew towards Nolel. The rod impaled her through her chest. Her blood splattered over Klenon's suit and on the floor.

"No!" Klenon shouted. Nolel coughed violently, she was still alive. She grabbed the rod instinctively and yelled in pain.

"Can't...mov...I...can't move." Nolel struggled to say.

"Hold on! You're not going to die on me." Klenon said. Tears were beginning to well up in his eyes.

"I'm not going to make it either way!" Nolel gasped.

"Don't let go of my hand! You're not going to die out there!" Klenon said. His voice began to break up.

"I'm dead weight, Klenon. you're not going to make it if you're dragging me." Nolel strained to say.

"We can both make it." Klenon cried.

"No, we can't. I'm sorry." Nolel said softly. She tried to let go of Klenon's hand, but he wouldn't let go of her. She let go of the rod with her other hand and reached down her belt. Klenon then felt a sharp pain on his wrist. His hand shot open, releasing Nolel from his grip.

"Nooooo!" Klenon shouted in misery as he watched Nolel sucked out of the dreadnought and into her final destination. He looked at his wrist and saw that Nolel had stabbed him with her knife. He looked back up and, to his dismay, he could no longer see Nolel.

"No, oh Keelah, no." Klenon whispered. He used all of his strength to pull himself away from the hole. He crawled towards to closed door with what little will he had. He sat up against the wall and pulled the knife out of his wrist.

"Why? Why?" Klenon cried. He put the knife on his belt and opened the door. He crawled through and the door closed behind him.

"There's Klenon!" Lota shouted as she saw him on the floor. She and Ket ran over to him and pulled him to his feet. Klenon could hardly see anything since his eyes were blurred from tears.

"C'mon, Klenon we need to go. Where's Nolel?" Ket asked.

"She's...She's gone." Klenon barely managed to say. Nobody said a word. They only escorted Klenon towards the shuttle.

"There you are! We need to go if we're getting out of here alive." Kal said as he saw Ket, Lota, and Klenon walk towards him.

"Nolel's gone, sir." Ket said grimly.

"I understand. She... was a good soldier." Kal said. All four piled into the shuttle. Klenon sat down in an empty seat and put his hands on his visor.

"Teyer, get us out of here." Kal said without emotion. The shuttle lifted off and out of the dreadnought. The entire cabin was quiet. Nobody said a word as the news of Nolel's death hit them.

Klenon pulled the knife off of his belt and looked it over. It was a simple yet elegant weapon. Nolel had always kept it with her. Klenon tightly gripped the handle. He silently cursed the Nanz-Qe and the geth for what they did to him.

"Never again." he whispered quietly.

"Never again."

...

"It was all my fault. If I reacted sooner when all those geth came out, she would still be alive." Klenon said quietly.

"It can't be your fault. You had no control over her death." Arenia said.

"You may be right. But it doesn't go away that easily."

"What happened after you got back to the fleet?" Arenia asked.

"I went on with my life. Reegar had to tell Daro about Nolel's death. Last I heard, she didn't take it so well." Klenon said.

"But it wasn't your fault." Arenia said again.

"It has to be my fault. There's no excuse for what I did. Ever since then, I've been training harder. Ever since then, I've learned to despise the Nanz-Qe and the geth. I vowed that day that I would find geth data to hopefully redeem myself." Klenon said.

"And that's why you worked so hard to find me. Why you did everything you could to keep me from harm's way." Arenia said.

"Yeah, I didn't want the same thing happening again." Klenon said.

"There's still something I don't understand. Nolel was just a squadmember. How could her death traumatize you so deeply?" Arenia asked. Klenon stared at the floor, not responding. The truth suddenly dawned on Arenia.

"Klenon, you...had feelings for her, didn't you?" Arenia asked.

"Yeah. Ever since I first met her." Klenon sighed.

"That's why you kept the knife."

"I kept it as...a momento. Something that I would be able to remember her by." Klenon said.

"Where is it?" Arenia asked.

"I don't have it anymore." Klenon confessed.

"Why? Where is it now?"

"I gave it to someone. I felt like she needed it more than I did. And I hoped it would help me move on. It didn't." Klenon said.

"Who did you give it to?"

"Toothpick arms." Klenon said with a grin, alluding to what Arenia called Tali in the Immortal Bar.

"Oh! Um...yeah. Sorry about that I just...tried to stay in character." Arenia mumbled. There was a period of silence between them until Klenon spoke.

"I need to go repair my suit. This thing has been through the worst." he said, looking down at his damaged suit.

"Is there even a clean room on this ship?" Arenia asked. Klenon looked at the bathrooms at the far end of the room.

"The bathrooms might be clean rooms. I'll go check them out." Klenon said. He got up from the sofa and grabbed the metallic box from the coffee table.

"If they are, could I maybe...use some of those suit patches?" Arenia asked.

"Why?"

"I'm very close to having a suit puncture on my arm. " Arenia said.

"Then go right ahead." Klenon said. Arenia got up from the sofa and followed Klenon into the clean rooms. It was a large pure-white room with benches all around. Klenon pressed a large button on the side of the door and the decon-cycle activated.

"This ship has everyhing we need. We were lucky to steal it." Klenon said.

"What? Steal it?" Arenia said in surprise.

"Long story." Klenon said. He walked to the nearest bench and put the box on it. Arenia sat on the other side of the box and put her hands on her lap.

"Now let's see if the money was worth it." Klenon said, opening the box. There was an assortment of patches, omni-gel, and other miscellaneous items.

"Thank you, Taf." Klenon said with content.

"This must be everything we need to comepletely fix our suits." Arenia said.

"Arenia, you can have the first pick." Klenon offered. She looked over all of the item and picked out a small suit patch and some omni-gel.

"I'm really going to need this." Klenon said, fishing out pieces of the torso section of a quarian's suit.

"How can you take so much damage and still be walking?" Arenia asked.

"Don't really know. Suffice to say, I'm really hard to kill." Klenon said with a degree of pride.

"Don't let it go to your head."

"That's going to be hard." Klenon joked. Arenia chuckled in response. Klenon removed the Exo-Pad from his chest, reaveling a hole the size of his palm and his bare skin.

"That's going to leave a scar." Klenon said as he looked over the wound. It had clotted a long time ago and left a large red line running down his chest. He dropped the Exo-pad onto the floor and continued to rifle through the box

"So let me ask you something, Arenia." Klenon said.

"What?"

"Just where did you get this data?" he asked, curious about how she was able to acquire something so important.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you later when we're not fixing our suits." Arenia said.

"Okay. So what's in it?"

"It contains some history about the geth. Their evolution since they exiled us from the homeworld. We can find out everything about them since then. I don't really understand all of it though." Arenia said.

"Then we better hope the admiralty can." Klenon said. Arenia placed the patch on her right forearm and put omni-gel on it to stick it into place.

"Damn, I can't get this patch into place. The puncture's too big." Klenon said as he struggled to put the patch over the hole.

"Here let me help." Arenia said. Klenon held one end of the patch whil Arenia grabbed the other. Together, they stretched the patch over the puncture. Arenia quickly grabbed some omni-gel and placed it on the patch.

She gently pressed the patch on Klenon's chest. Arenia couldn't help but feel his chest. A small smile grew on her face. She then immediatly felt embarrassed that she was doing such a thing. Her hands were shaking and for some reason her heart was beating faster.

Klenon then did something that made her blush furiously. He brought his hands up and gently held hers to keep them from shaking.

She wasn't the only one who felt something. Klenon softly rubbed the top of her hands and he began to notice her curvy figure. Most female quarians were the same but with Arenia, something was different.

The two looked back at each other and stared into each other's eyes. Neither knew what to say. Klenon decided to be the first to do something. He moved his hands from hers and ran them up her arms to her shoulders and began to caress them gently.

Arenia pushed the box off of the bench and put her hands on his chest. She moved closer to him and placed her head under his chin. Klenon moved his hands further and began to softly rub her back.

Klenon couldn't believe what he was doing, but it felt so right. He was betting that Arenia felt the same way.

"Klenon? Arenia? You guys in here?" Rekko said from the crew's quarters. Both of them breathed a sign of disappoinment. Klenon quickly moved his arms from Arenia looked over to the closed door.

"Yeah, Rekko. Just patching up our suits." he said loud enough for Rekko to hear.

"Okay. Klenon I really need to talk to you about something." Rekko said. Klenon looked back at Arenia then at the door.

"Hold up. Let me just finish up here." he said. He walked back towards Arenia and held out his hand. She took it and pulled her to her feet.

"I uh...need to go." he mumbled. Arenia just nodded. He walked to the door and opened it. Walking into the room, he saw Rekko leaning against the kitchen counter.

_Thank for interuppting something, bosh'tet._

"What is it, Rekko?" he asked.

"I might need some help in engineering to keep the engine from dying on us mid-flight. Could you help me out?" he asked.

"Uh...yeah. But I don't know how much help I can be." Klenon admitted.

"I don't need you to do anything complex. I just need you to assist me with the small stuff." Rekko said.

"Well...alright." Klenon said.

"Great. Follow me." Rekko said. The two left the room and headed their way to engineering. Soon after, Arenia walked out of the cleanrooms. She scanned the area and briskly walked towards the sofa.

"What was I doing? What happened in there?" she asked herself. Now that the mood was interuppted by Rekko, Arenia couldn't think of a good enough reason for doing what she did.

"I think I'm just tired, that's all. A good rest will keep me from doing anything...unorthodox." she said to herself. She moved to the nearest bed and laid down. She stared up at the bed above her and put her hands on her stomach, thinking about the events that transpired in the cleanrooms

"Keelah, give me guidance. what am I supposed to do...or feel?" she asked. She laid in the same position for a while before slowly falling asleep.

She couldn't believe who was in her dreams.

**Yep. This is the first time in my entire life I've ever written romance. It only seems fitting since it's Valentine's Day. So how'd I do with it? How did I do with Nolel's death scene? Let me know so I can make some tweaks or not. Ferret out.**


	16. Chapter 16

**This story is old enough to drive. You guys remember when it was only a chapter old? *Sniff* they grow up so fast. :')**

**Cutlass-Cougar: Thanks. I try to learn something new every day.**

**Anyways, let's stop being sentimental and get on with this story's life.**

Chapter 16: The Corporate World

"Pass me the wrench." Rekko requested while looking in the inside of one of the ship's engines. Klenon rummaged through the tool box next to him and grabbed the wrench. He put it in Rekko's hand and went back to thinking about what had happened earlier.

The last thing he was expecting to come out of this mission was an infatuation. The feelings he had felt seemed to come out of nowhere. Ever since he left the cleanroom, he had been thinking about her.

When it came to him that there was something between them, two things came to mind. One, if it was going to go anywhere. And two, if it did, how would it work?

If both happened. Arenia would still be on her pilgrimage and Klenon would have to go back to the fleet and his squad. Quarians have a hard time being seperated from each other in the early stages of the heart melding. At best, it would be pure hell.

"Ehh, I really hope this piece of junk makes it to Noveria." Rekko said as he stood up from the engine.

"Couldn't we have picked a closer port?" Klenon asked.

"We could, but like I said, I have some pull in Noveria and they have top of the line services. They'll fix her up and keep her from falling apart for a while." Rekko said.

"I just hope we don't die in our sleep." Klenon grumbled.

"You can never be happy, can you?" Rekko muttered.

_That's still up in the air._

"I have to be like that so if I'm right, I'll have the pleasure of *being* right. And If I'm not, I'll be glad that I didn't die." Klenon explained.

"I guess, but you need a more positive outlook on life." Rekko said.

"We'll see. We'll see." Klenon said. He knew that Rekko didn't know what he really meant.

"I need to check the status on some other ship systems. You need to take a break, you've been through a lot in a short amount of time." Rekko said. He picked up the tool box and walked up the long, narrow flight of stairs leaving the small engineering deck.

Klenon leaned against the engine and sighed. He was conflicted about the whole thing. There may still be chance to stop developing the feelings he felt for her. But he didn't know if he wanted to end it. He slid down the engine and sat down.

"What to do, what to do." he whispered to himself. He lifted his arm and biotic energy swirled around it. He would always play with his biotics while he was thinking. He opened his palm and a small ball of biotic energy formed.

"I'm working for the marines. If I do this, then I'd be risking Arenia's happiness if something happened. I don't want that. Wait, why do I care?" Klenon asked himself. He groaned then leaned his head against the engine.

"I...maybe we could..." Klenon said. He couldn't come up with a reason to support either side. Klenon spent a long time sitting on the floor. Minutes blurred into hours. He would occasionally get up and pace back and forth then sit back down.

"If we do this, I can probably be happy. But if we don't, we can probably be safer emotionally." he said. He thought for a few more minutes. He felt that he was going to reach a conclusion.

"I think...it would be for the best if we didn't do this. I don't want to jeopordize both our lives. And I'm almost positive that it will." Klenon said to himself. He got up and walked up the flight of stairs. The door slid open and Klenon walked out.

He walked into the crew's quarters and saw Arenia and Tara in their beds. Darin was in the kitchen making something to drink on the counter.

"Hey Darin." Klenon said barely above a whisper. Darin nodded in response.

"What are you making?" Klenon asked while walking up to the counter. Darin held up a red, plastic can. Klenon read it then looked at Darin.

"Coffee?" he asked, unfamiliar with the drink. Darin nodded. He picked up the steaming cup and took a sip.

"What does it taste like?" Klenon asked. Darin made a thumbs-up then picked up a bottle of creamer.

"Why don't they just put that stuff in so people wouldn't have to pour it themselves?" Klenon asked. Darin shrugged.

"And this is a human drink?" Klenon asked. Darin nodded.

"Humans are weird. Eh, I guess we all have our pros and cons." Klenon mumbled. He left the counter and walked over to the nearest avalible bed, which just happened to be the bunk bed Arenia was sleeping on. Klenon stared at her for a few seconds. The same feelings he felt in the cleanroom came back. He shook his head and climbed onto the top bed.

_I need to tell her when we get up. I need to know if she has the same opinion I do. If she doesn't, I really don't know what will happen._

Klenon laid his head on the pillow and slowly exhaled. They were going to arrive to Noveria in a few hours. He had never been there before and he wanted to be ready for anything.

...

Rekko looked outside the window in front of him. Noveria was only a few minutes away. The giant ice planet took up all of the window's view.

"We're here?" Tara asked as she walked up to Rekko, rubbing her eye.

"Yeah. If I remember right, they should be calling us any min-"

"Unidentified frigate. Identify yourself or you will be shot down." A stern voice said over the radio.

"Right on cue." Rekko said.

"Wait, we don't know the ship's name. How can we answer?" Tara asked, a little worried.

"This ship doesn't have a registration. I've looked all over the place and there wasn't a single hint to it's identification." Rekko said.

"Unidentified ship, respond or you will be shot down." the voice said again. Rekko thought fast and replied.

"Noveria Control, this is the Rienava. We have suffered heavy damage from a pirate attack. We need a place to land or everyone on this ship is going to die!" Rekko shouted through the comms.

"We are not responsible for the loss of your crew. We cannot afford to give you any berth." the voice said.

"Please. We have families! You can't just leave us to die! You're the only one that can save us. Just help us, please." Rekko shouted. The radio went dead for a few seconds then a female voice came on the radio.

"Reinava, you have a berth. Head to dock 841." she said then cut the line.

"Wow. That was pretty good acting, Rekko." Tara complimented.

"People always did say that I should be an actor." Rekko said. He steered the ship throught the thick snowfall. He was barely able to make out the large space that was supposed to be their docking area.

"I really hope he's here." Rekko said under his breath. He pulled the ship into the dock and the magnetic clamps attached themselves to the ship. Rekko got up from his chair and grabbed a pistol.

"Just because it's a corporate world doesn't mean it's safe." Rekko said to himself. Klenon walked through the door and cracked his knuckles.

"We're here already?" Klenon asked, walking up to the two.

"Yup. The giant ice ball they call Noveria. Just wait, it gets a lot more boring." Tara said.

"I just hope they don't boot us out when they see we're not in that much trouble." Rekko said. He walked back to his computer and pressed several buttons.

"Okay, according to the computer, we're in Port Hanshan. This is exactly where we need to be." Rekko said.

"Let's go outside. I'm a little anxious to see what's out there." Klenon said.

"I'm not. I hate the cold. Still don't understand why my brother came here." Rekko said. Darin and Arenia came into the CIC. Arenia looked at Klenon for only a second until moving her gaze.

"Alright, we going to head straight to the garage. I'll convince the chief technician to take a look at our ship, fix it, and let us off without charge." Rekko said confidently.

"Do you really think he going to fix this entire ship without charge?" Klenon asked disbelievingly.

"I have my ways, Klenon. Just watch." Rekko said as he walked towards the airlock. The group walked into the small airlock and patiently waited while the decon-cycle finished. Unfortunately for Klenon, due to the size of the decon-room, he was pressed against Arenia.

_This was the last thing I needed._

The door exterior door opened and to everyones surprise, there were five ERCS guards with guns in hand waiting for them.

"Before you move anywhere we need to have your identification verified to make sure you aren't a threat to the companies here." A human female said. Klenon speculated that she was the captain.

"We're going to do this out here?" Rekko asked.

"No, we'll take you to a secure location. We'll talk to each of you seperately then you'll be on your way." the human said.

"Stirling, Karo, please escort these visitors to the interview rooms." the human said. A blonde haired human female and a turian walked up to the group.

"If you will follow us. This interview won't take long." Karo said to Klenon. He was surprisingly polite to him. Klenon expected no less than a sneer and maybe a jab to the stomach.

"Whatever you say, officer." Klenon replied.

...

Klenon sat in a small square room with a blue hue. Officer Karo was sitting across from him, pressing a few buttons on his omni-tool.

"Now, your name is?" Karo asked.

"Klenon'Lehto nar Ghalia." Klenon lied.

"On pilgrimage? I expected as much." Karo said.

"No other reason to be out here." Klenon said.

"Now tell me, what is your affiliation with the ship you came in on, the Reinava?" Karo asked.

"I'm an engineer. I tried to get the Reinava's engines for as long as I could. Thank Keelah, I did." Klenon lied. Karo nodded.

"Where did the pirates attack you, where did the attack take place?"

"The Terminus Systems. We were leaving Omega when we were ambushed by those pirates." Klenon said.

"Uh-huh. Can't be too careful out there." Karo said.

"That's why I try to stay away from there as much as possible." Klenon said.

"You're smart. Unlike other people who go there." Karo said.

The interview went on for a few more minutes. Karo asked questions that Klenon easily answered. Eventually the interview was over and Klenon was escorted out of the room.

"Wait here. Your friends will be with you shortly." Karo said, pointing at a bench next to the interview room. Klenon obeyed and sat down, putting his hands together. He closed his eyes and began to think again. It wasn't long before somebody joined him.

"Hey...um..Klenon." Arenia said, sitting down next to him.

"Hey." Klenon said barely above a whisper. The two stayed in an awkward silence for an indeterminable amount of time. Either looking at the floor or around the hall.

"Look Klenon, I don't know if you want to talk about it but I do." Arenia said.

"I don't know if there is anything to talk about." Klenon said without looking at her.

"What happened in the cleanroom happened for a reason." Arenia said.

"But what if it was just heat of the moment?"

"How could it have been the heat of the moment? Sitting down would not have started something like that." Arenia said.

"I...just don't know, Arenia. What if it's a mistake? What if it ends up being something that we regret?" Klenon asked, putting a hand on his visor.

"I'd rather find out then spend the rest of my life wondering." Arenia said firmly.

"But...I really don't know what's keeping me from saying anything." Klenon said.

"Klenon, look at me." Arenia said. Klenon slowly rotated his head towards her.

"What do you feel when you see me?" she asked. Klenon stared at her for a long time.

"I don't know." he said in a low voice. Arenia took things a step further and gently held his hand.

"How about now?"

Klenon looked at her hand. Despite their suits being in the way, he could feel the warmth of her hand. He looked up and stared into her eyes. His hands slowly moved forward and gently held hers.

"Something's there now, and...I like it." Klenon said. He began to softly stroke her thumb, envoking a small giggle from Arenia.

"Klenon, are you sure you want to go through with this? You just said a second ago that you didn't know what to do." Arenia said.

"I know, but at this point, I need something good going on in my life." Klenon said. He brought up his other hand and held her hand with both. Arenia then noticed that the door behind Klenon began to open. She quickly let go of his hand and motioned her head towards the door.

Klenon turned around to see Rekko, Darin, and Tara walking through.

"They just had to take my pistol." Rekko muttered.

"Good to see none of us are arrested. We can go on with what we planned." Tara said.

"Uh...right. Where do we go now?" Klenon asked.

"The garage. That's where my contact is." Rekko answered. Klenon and Arenia got up from the bench and walked up to them.

"Well. You lead. I don't know a thing about this place." Klenon said. Rekko pressed a button next to him and an elevator soon appeared. The glass doors slid open and everyone piled in. Klenon and Arenia walked into the back while everyone else to the front.

They picked that spot for a reason. Nobody could see them holding hands.

...

The group walked down a small flight of stairs and turned a corner. They had just recently entered a plaza with a sweeping outside view of the blizzard outside. There were streams of water under walkways and several decroative rocks that outlined them.

Once they rounded the corner, they were in a small chamber with and elevator and stairs at the end of the chamber that lead up. There was also a tan-faced turian wearing a blue and orange uniform.

"Hey, Lilihierax." Rekko said. Lilihierax looked up to see the familiar face.

"Rekko. It's been a long time." Li said.

"It has. How's the position treating ya?" Rekko asked, shaking hands with Li.

"Becoming the chief mechanic was the best chocie I ever made. I have no regrets. Ha, who's your friends?" Li asked.

"They got me outta some hot water. That's Tara, Darin, Klenon, and Arenia." Rekko said, pointing to each of them.

"Guys, this is Lilihierax. He's my brother." Rekko said.

"Just call me Li for short." Li added. Everyone either nodded or said hi back.

"So, Rekko, what can I do for you?" Li asked.

"We got into a little fight and our ship is pretty badly damaged. I don't suppose you could help us out in fixing it." Rekko said.

"Of course I can, but, little brother, there's a price for these kinds of things." Li said.

"I wasn't expecting my own flesh and blood to take money from me." Rekko said in slight surprise.

"Ha, just like old times. Tell you what, you pay, and I'll give you a sibling discount." Li offered.

"Okay, that'll work. What's the price?"

"That depends on how badly the ship is damaged. You might want to take me there, Rekko. So you're not cheating me out of credits. " Li said.

"You think that I would swindle you? My own brother?" Rekko said in a false-shocked tone.

"You did swindle twelve credits from me fifteen years ago.

"Alright, little weird that you remember that. Guys, you can hang out here for a while. Li and I are going back to the ship. I'll meet up with you when we're done." Rekko said to the group. Li and him walked past the group and headed to the ship.

"What do we do now?" Arenia asked.

"I guess we could head to the bar. Blow off some steam, you know." Tara said.

"Bar sounds good." Klenon said.

"It'd be nice to not be shot at for a change." Arenia said.

"Then it's settled. Let me find the nearest bar." Tara said. She opened her omni-tool and read a few menus.

"There's an elevator not far from here that leads to a bar." Tara said. The group walked out of the room and towards the elevator that would lead them to their destination.

...

Klenon, Arenia, Darin, and Tara all sat in a table talking amongst themselves and taking a few drinks.

"Rekko said we were going to die?" Klenon inquired.

"Yup, and the control room bought it." Tara said with a laugh.

"Man, he's got a lot of tricks up his sleeve." Klenon said.

"He's got talents. I'll give him that." Arenia said.

"Hey, who wants another round? On me." Tara asked.

"I'll take you up on that." Klenon said.

"Me too." Arenia said. Darin nodded.

"Alright I'll go fetch us the good stuff." Tara said, getting up from the table. She walked over to the bar and waved the bartender over.

"Get me two He'jeik and two Quiniet." Tara said. The asari bartender smiled and began to get the drinks. Tara looked to around while she waited. There were several buisness men and women talking privately.

"I bet nobody here has ever experienced fun." Tara said to herself. She looked to her right and saw four guards taking quick glances at her.

_Might aswell enjoy the sight, boys. You'll never get to touch anyways._

The bartender brought the drinks over to Tara and she paid for them. She picked up the drinks and walked back to the table.

"Here you go. Best drinks on Noveria." Tara said as she set down the drinks on the table.

"It's good to cut loose." Klenon said while grabbing his tube and leaning back in his chair.

"You got that right." Tara said. She grabbed the bottle of Quiniet and took a sip.

"Things are starting to look up. We're in the clear, the ship's being repaired, and Arenia and I got our pilgrimage gifts." Klenon said.

_And a little more._

"And I've been meaning to ask you, Arenia. Why do you wear that necklace?" Klenon questioned.

"Oh, um...no reason. Just...thought it...looked nice." Arenia said. Klenon could tell from her body language that she was nervous.

"You sure? You look a little nervous." Klenon said.

"No, I'm just... It's complicated, okay?" Arenia said with a hint of agitation

"Sorry, didn't mean to prod into something sensitive." Klenon apologized. He didn't mean to upset her.

"No, no. I'm sorry. Just things get a little personal when it comes to this." Arenia said while holding the small blue stone.

"So, Klenon, I wanted to ask you something." Tara said.

"Okay, shoot."

"When you got back on the ship you said-" She never got to finish her sentence. All four of their arms were twisted behind their backs and their heads were forced to the table.

"S.I. security. Stay calm and put your hands behind your back." A human said. Tara recognized him. It was the human that was eyeing her earlier.

"What the hell! We didn't do anything!" Tara shouted.

"Sure you didn't. We're taking you in. It's time you answered for your crimes." the human said. All four were pulled to their feet and were handcuffed. Klenon knew better than to pick a fight with the security of a company, so he didn't try to resist.

"We didn't do anything!" Arenia shouted.

"You're both accomplices to their crimes. So you're both under arrest." the human said.

"And just when we were starting to relax." Klenon muttered.

...

The group was escorted out of the elevator and pushed towards a flight of stairs. As far as Klenon could tell, they were in the headquarters of one of the companies that invests into Noveria. They calmly walked up the stairs and across the small lobby. The group was escorted down a walkway that overlooked the main lobby and reached a door.

The human walked up to the door and opened it. All four were forced inside and stood infront of a desk with a sharply dressed turian reading something on a datapad. Behind the turian was a wall of monitors that showed different areas of the HQ.

"Manager Qui'in, we have the thieves." the human said. The turian looked up and looked at the group.

"Ahh, so here are the culprits of a most...unreasonable crime." Lorik said.

"Look, Mr. Qui'in. We didn't do anything." Klenon said.

"Oh I know you didn't. However, your companions here did." Lorik said, motioning his head towards Tara and Darin.

"Tara, what did you do?" Klenon asked, almost not wanting to know.

"Well...remember when I told you that we used to steal stuff." Tara said in a slight shameful tone.

"Yes. Your friends here stole some very valuable technology from Synthetic Insights, and I would be most appreciative if I could have it back. It is very important to us as you can tell." Lorik said in a calm tone.

"We don't have it. We...pawned it off for some credits." Tara said.

"How unfortunate. It seems that I have no choice but to detain all four of you." Lorik said.

"What? You can't do that! There's a statue of limitations for these kinds of things." Tara said.

"Yes, but how do you think Synthetic Insights would look if it got out that our security was cracked wide-open. That would be bad buisness. Both for us and Noveria." Lorik said. Just then Klenon looked up at the monitors behind Qui'in and saw something.

In one of the monitors, a figure seemed to appear from nowhere and stab a guard from behind with a needle. From what Klenon could tell, the figure was a female and wore all black with a black hood. She gently dropped the guard to the floor and turned her attention to the camera.

She opened her omni-tool and moved it in front of the camera. Suddenly the figure disappeared, as if she was never there. Before the camera went out, Klenon saw that the female was human.

_Looks like someone else is breaking in. Security is getting breached a second time. Qui'in is going to be pissed. If he ever finds out._

"So what are you going to do with us? Just keep us in a cell and let us rot?" Klenon said, looking away from the monitors.

"Absolutely not. We are not barbarians. You will be shipped off this planet at our earliest convienice and you will face the consequences for your actions." Lorik said.

"Now, captain Franklin, would you ecsort these good people to the detention room?" Lorik requsted.

The group was forced out of the room and Lorik resumed to read his datapad.

"Oh how I hate when things go sour. But people need to learn to take what they earn only." Lorik said to himself. He moved to his computer and pressed a few buttons.

"Mr. Anoleis. Why is it that you have gained so much wealth?" Lorik asked sarcastically.

"Maybe, it's because you can't keep your greedy hands to yourself."

Lorik opened a file and re-read all of the evidence on Anoleis.

"This simply won't do. This must be reported immediatly." Lorik said with a smile.

"Your time is up, Anoleis. Evidence never lies."

**I'll give you one chance to guess who the hooded female was in the camera. :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Your choices have been counted. You thought it was Kasumi Goto. I am sorry, it was actually Nana Mizuki, a popular singer in Japan. Just kidding, it was Kasumi. :)**

**Oh, and there is some sexual content in this chapter so be careful.**

Chapter 17: Backroom Deals

Klenon and Arenia were locked inside a small cell, sitting on a bench. Synthetic Insights took evrything from them. All tools, all weapons, and even both of their omni-tools. Tara, Darin and Rekko were inside a different cell.

"What do we do now, Klenon?" Arenia asked softly.

"I don't know. This is one of the times where I can't do anything to help. I hate these times. But if I fight back, I'll have over a hundred guards after my tail." Klenon said.

"So we're stuck here." Arenia said in a hopeless tone. Kleno instinctevly scooted closer to her and put his hand around her waist.

"We'll find a way out of this, drema. I promise." Klenon said. Arenia's heart skipped a beat when she heard him say that. She was surprised that he had accepted the bond between them and fully embraced it.

"I...uh...thank you. I wasn't...expecting that from...you." She mumbled.

"Hey, if we're doing this, we might aswell do it right." Klenon said in a low voice. Arenia smiled under her helmet.

"I know that this isn't the right time to say it, but I really want to spend some time with you soon" Arenia said.

"I know. But we need to get out of here first." Klenon said. He let go of her waist and began to think off all the possible outcomes.

"Well...Syenthetic Insights wants their technology back. If we can find a way to make up for what Tara did, maybe give it back somehow, they can probaly let us go."

"But I doubt that they're just going to let us walk out of here to 'look for their stuff'." Arenia said.

"You're right. They'll think we're bluffing. I just can't find a way to get us out of here without blowing half of the port up." Klenon said in frustration. Their door opened and a guard wearing white armor stepped in.

"Get up. We're taking you out of here." he ordered. Klenon looked at Arenia and nodded. The two got up and walked cautiously to the guard.

"Look, officer, can't we just work something out? Can't we pay off what we owe?" Klenon said in a meager attempt to get off the hook.

"Shut up, and come with me." the guard said sternly. Klenon sighed.

The guard began to walk away and the two followed. Klenon noticed that the others weren't around.

"Where are my friends? What are you going to do to them." Klenon demanded. The guard pulled out a pistol and aimed it straight at Klenon's visor.

"Say one more word and I'll blast your face into dust." he snarled.

"You stay away from him." Arenia said angrily, getting between the two. The guard glared at Arenia then holstered his gun. He stared at Klenon with a mix of supremacy and uncontrolled anger.

"Just keep your mouth shut and come with me." the guard growled. The guard turned around and continued to walk, but at a faster pace.

"It's official. I hate this planet." Klenon muttered.

...

The guard opened and door and motioned for Klenon and Arenia to move inside. The two walked inside cautiously. What they found was something unexpected. They were inside a lavish room with a bar and a large bed and blue carpeting.

"Uh...what is this?" Klenon asked dumbfounded.

"Your hotel room." Klenon and Arenia looked to their left and saw a human female in a blue dress, sitting on a comfy chair.

"And you are?" Arenia asked.

"Gianna Parasini. Noveria Internal Affairs." she said.

"An internal affairs agent? What are you doing here? And what do you want?" Klenon asked.

"And why are we here?" Arenia added.

"To answer both of your questions, you have been brought here because of Lorik Qui'in's desicion to detain both of you."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Klenon asked.

"I don't know if you're aware of this but quarian employees are a valuable resource for the companies here on Noveria." Gianna said. Klenon glared at her when she called quarians 'resources'.

"Qui'in's decision to lock up both of you can have dire ramifications for our relationship with the quarian people."

"So all you're worried about is your 'resources'? Is that all you care about?" Klenon asked, infuriated.

"Whether you know it or not, Noveria has treated quarians better than anywhere else in the galaxy. We pay well and we don't have prejudice towards your people. There is no animosity between us." Gianna said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Be that is it may, you're still treating us like property." Klenon said coldly. Arenia put her hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down. Klenon looked at her then slowly exhaled and tried to relax himself.

"Go on." Klenon said.

"Because Noveria doesn't want to have a problem with the quarian people, they don't want to give them a reason to have said problem."

"So what? What is your role in all of this?" Klenon asked.

"It's simple. I'm going to negotiate with Qui'in to release you," Gianna started while getting up from the seat.

"and in return for releasing you, you do something for the N.I.A" Gianna said.

_Oh, more barganing. This should be good._

"And what just might that be?" Klenon asked.

"We recently had another break-in. It was an inside job and that is something that Noveria cannot afford to let out into the public. They stole a prototype of a high-caliber firearm. Along with several plans for omni-tool mods." Gianna said.

"And what do I do about it?" Klenon asked even though he already knew the answer.

"You are going to get all that tech back and bring it back." Gianna said.

"How am I supposed to find out where they are?"

"We know where they went. They stole a ship from Noveria and all of our ships have tracking beacons to make sure the ships go to their intended destination. Not the smartest bunch of thieves." Gianna said with a grin.

"So you want me to go get everything that was taken from you and bring it back here? Just where are these people anyway?" Klenon asked.

"A planet called Tyreyin. It's a small rock planet with a methane atmosphere. There is no life on that planet so they're hiding inside a bunker. We know exactly where it is. All you have to do is get back what they stole." Gianna finished. Klenon thought over what she said. It was just like any other mission he had and he was going to pardoned for Tara's and Darin's theft.

"What about my friends? Are they going to be released?"

"Yes and no." Gianna answered.

"What do you mean?" Arenia asked.

"I mean that yes, they will be released, but no, they can't come with you." Gianna said. Klenon gave her a look of slight confusion even though she couldn't see it.

"Allow me elaborate. Only you and your friend here will be released to retrieve our stolen technology. Once you complete that task and report back to me, the rest of your friends will be exempted from the charges." Gianna said.

"Well, that makes sense. Ms. Parasini, when do we do this task of yours?" Arenia asked.

"It depends on how long it takes to convince Qui'in of this deal. And how long it takes to get a ship ready for you." Gianna said.

"You're giving us our own ship?" Klenon asked in surprise.

"Yeah, a small ship with FTL capabilities. Don't bother trying to run away, it has a tracking beacon too." Gianna warned.

"Fine, I'll do your job for you. But you better release my friends when I'm done." Klenon said in a slight threatning tone.

"I'll go talk to Qui'in and start on that right away. I'll let you know when you can leave." Gianna said in a cool tone. It was obvious that she wasn't the slightest bit fazed by Klenon.

"Yeah? And how long will that take?" Klenon asked.

"At best? A week." Gianna answered truthfully.

"A week? How does it take a week to convince someone to take a deal?" Klenon questioned.

"Welcome to the real world, kid. Besides, I did get you this room to stay in. Might aswell use it to relax while you still can." Gianna said. She walked past them and exited the room. The opaque glass slid closed, leaving the two alone in their hotel room.

Klenon walked away from Arenia and sat down on a couch to the right of the room. Arenia took the time to survey the room. The bar was on the left side of the room and there was a coffee table in front of the couch. The far corners of the room had windows that reached from the ceiling to the floor.

The kitchen was to the right of Arenia and the bathrooms were to her right. There was also a small vid-screen on the coffee table.

"I can't believe we're doing some planet's dirty work for them." Klenon mumbled.

"Klenon, we have to do this if we're going to get out of here. I know that you can handle something like this." Arenia said while walking over and sitting next to him.

"I guess, but I really would like to go somewhere that didn't have me be in the middle of some other people's problems." Klenon muttered. Arenia put her hand on Klenon's shoulder.

"Just because things started out bad here doesn't mean it's going to stay like that." Arenia said softly. She slowly leaned her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his neck.

"You did say you wanted to spend time with me." Klenon recalled.

"And I still do." Arenia said in a soft voice. She leaned farther into Klenon, causing him to fall onto his back onto the sofa. Arenia climbed on top of him and laid her head on his chest. Klenon wrapped his arms around her and gently rubbed her back.

"This is really nice." Arenia hummed.

"Yeah. I'm...glad I have you to help me relax." Klenon said. Arenia began to run her finger up and down his chest.

"Whenver you need me, Klenon, I'll be right here. I'm not going anywhere." Arenia said softly. She closed her eyes and listened to the beating of his heart.

"Well, we have a whole week to ourselves. It's not under the best circumstances but I'll take it." Klenon said. Arenia nuzzled her head under Klenon's chin.

"As long as we have time to ourselves, I'm happy." Arenia said.

"Well I don't know about you, but I need some rest." Klenon said. Arenia lifted her head and spoke.

"I think I need some rest too."

Klenon slightly moved Arenia, telling her to get off. She did and Klenon stood up.

"Well we have a nice bed right over there. I say we use it. Would you like to join me?" Klenon asked, holding out his hand. Arenia took it and Klenon guided her to the bed. Klenon fell backwards and Arenia landed ontop of him, a light giggle escaping her mouth. both of their visors were only an inch apart.

"You have beautiful eyes." Klenon said, softly stroking the side of her helmet. Arenia closed the distance between them to the point where their visors were touching. A small feeling of irritation formed in Arenia. She wanted desperately to see his face, to feel everything that quarians were deprived of when they were with someone who they cared deeply for.

The two eventually laid down completely at the bed. Arenia laid her head on Klenon's shoulder and put her arm on his chest. Klenon wrapped his arm around Arenia and put his other arm on hers. Arenia nuzzled under his helmet and breathed a sigh a comfort.

"Never thought the guy I'd hit with a brick would be the guy I fell in love with." Arenia said softly. Klenon chuckled.

"You should always expect the unexpected, drema." Klenon said affectionately.

"I'm glad that this thing between us is going somewhere. I couldn't be happpier, dremo." Arenia said.

"Expect the unexpected." Klenon said again. Arenia giggled.

"Sometimes, it's better not to. More fun that way."

...

The two had spent a more than a week together. And everyday their relationship grew. Arenia noticed that Klenon had been a little reserved during the time but she didn't mind. They did a number of things together. But they were severly limited to what they could do due to their suits. Most days were just sitting together and talking or watching the vid-screen.

There were several occasions when they were able to visit Tara, Darin, and Rekko. They told them about the deal and how they could be freed. As Klenon suspected, they all agreed to it.

"Morning, drema." Klenon said with a yawn. The two were lying in bed in a spooning position; Klenon behind Arenia.

"What time is it?" Arenia asked, slightly shuffling. Klenon looked over his shoulder and looked at the holographic clock on his nightstand.

"It's 10:43."

Arenia looked outside one of the windows and saw that dawn was barely breaking.

"It's still too early. Can we go back to sleep?"

"Whatever you want, drema." Klenon said. Arenia moved closer and sighed happily.

"This is great. I don't want this to end." Arenia said quietly.

"Neither do I. I haven't had a vacation in a long time." Klenon said. Arenia turned around to face him and put a hand on his helmet.

"When was the last time you went on vacation?"

"I dont even remember." Klenon said, putting his hand on her waist. Arenia moved closer to the point where their visor's were touching. A thought popped into Arenia's mind. It didn't seem like the best time and it made her blush furiously, but she wanted to atleast try.

"Maybe I could do something to make sure you never forget this one." she whispered in a seductive tone. She unexpectedly straddled Klenon and put her hands on his chest. Klenon instinctevly put his hands on her hips and held on tight. Arenia lightly grinded herself against Klenon, breathing heavily.

Klenon ran his hands up her waist and gently squeezed. Their feelings reached higher than ever before. No rational thought passed through either of their heads. Both began to feel very hot and began to sweat.

Arenia began to lightly moan from the amount of pleasure. She began to move more vigorously and intensly, ecstasy coursing through her body.

Klenon moved his hands further up her body, admiring her petite form. Arenia felt shivers going up her spine as her reached his goal. She looked at him with an intense love. Klenon stared back at her with a calm look in his eyes. The modd felt perfect for the both of them.

There was a loud nock on their door and both of them gave a huge sigh of annoyance.

_There's always something._

Arenia reluctantly got off of Klenon and got up from bed. She briskly walked up to the glass door and opened it. Behind it was none other than Gianna.

"Yes?" Arenia asked, trying to make it seem as if nothing happened.

"I got a ship ready for you. Here are the coordinates to the thieves' hideout. C'mon, you have to leave as soon as possible." Gianna said, passing a datapad to Arenia.

"Um..okay. Just give us a moment." Arenia said. She closed the door and looked back at Klenon who was standing behind her.

"I...guess we have to cut this short." Arenia said, disappointed. Klenon nodded in understanding. She could tell that he wasn't happy about the sudden interruption either.

"Let's just get this over with." Klenon said quietly. He opened the door to see Gianna still waiting.

"We're ready. Let's go"

...

Klenon and Arenia walked ito the airlock and a decon-cycle commenced. The shuttle they were entering was small and most likely cramped. It was a wonder to both Klenon and Arenia that it had FTL capabilities.

The decon cycle ended and the door opened. Inside was a deepblue interior with two bunk beds and footlockers. To the left was the cockpit and to their right was a bathroom.

"This has got to be one of the smallest ships I've ever seen." Klenon said.

"We could probably fit about ten quarians in here." Arenia joked. Klenon chuckled and moved to the pilot's seat. He sat down and pressed several buttons.

"All systems green, thruster capacity...100%." Klenon said. Arenia sat next to him and helped in the diagnostics.

"FTL up to full strength, enigines perfectly aligned." Arenia said.

"Alright, let's get this thing moving." Klenon said. He pressed a button and the ship slightly shook.

"I really want to get this over with." Arenia admitted. Klenon put his hand on hers.

"We will, Arenia." Klenon said. He entered the coordinates and put the ship on auto-pilot.

"Do you...you know, want to finish this here?" Arenia asked nervously. Klenon found it odd that she was nervous about asking him that.

"Listen, Arenia, I want to do this. Believe me, I do. But I want it to be done right. When we have some privacy and nothing hanging over our heads. I..want it to be right, for your sake." Klenon said truthfully.

"I understand, Klenon. I...just really want to see your face, to feel...your lips on mine." Arenia said in a low voice.

"I do too." Klenon said. He patted Arenia on the shoulder and turned to the viewscreen which was a substitute for a window.

"Time to finish this."

...

Klenon had his eyes glued to viewscreen. Arenia had dozed off a while ago, leaning her head against his shoulder. Klenon moved the ship to a nearby star to discharge the ship's core.

"Guess the N.I.A can't take care of their own ships." Klenon said to himself.

He moved the ship close to a planet that was near a blue star. Klenon's mind began to drift away, bored because of the lack of events. The ship shook violently and the ship's alarms began to blare. Klenon quickly lost control of the ship. The sudden shaking woke Arenia up instantly.

"What happened? What's going on?" Arenia shouted.

"I don't know! The ship was hit by something!" Klenon said, trying to control the ship. It began to fall steadily towards the planet below.

"We're going to hit the planet pretty hard! Hold onto something!" Klenon shouted. The ship shook erractically and accelerated faster towards the ground.

"This is going to hurt!" Klenon said through gritted teeth.

"Oh Keelah!" Arenia shouted. The ship hit the ground with an immense force and skidded across the ground. Klenon and Arenia were thrown violently in their seats. The ship skidded closer and closer to a mountain.

"Ahh, Keelah!" Klenon shouted. The ship crashed into the mountain, causing both of the quarians to move forward from the inertia. Both of them began to breath heavily. Klenon put his hand on his neck and Arenia got up from her seat.

She passed through the now-defunct airlock and opened the door, seeing a vast barren landscape with a blue hue.

"Where the hell are we?" Arenia asked. Klenon pressed a few buttons on the damaged computer. The location popped up on the screen and Klenon simply responded

"Solcrum."

**Hmmm. Solcrum. Why is that important?**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 how I love you so, I ache for your comfort and comfort you bestow.**

**Danyael Prince: Maybe. Read and find out. You'll never know what might hit you. Or what might slap you. Or just say some vulgar things to you and proceed to play slots. **

**Cutlass-Cougar: I actually think Solcrum could benefit from a tropical hotel. The nice sun, the warm heat. I would go.**

**Mapped: Glad I'm one of the best parts of your week. Oh, and Bow chicka honk honk. (If you get this you can haz cookie :3)**

Chapter 18: Unintentional Miracle

Klenon stepped out of the ship and onto the warm sand beneath him. He could tell that the surface of the planet was extremely hot. He took a moment to scan the area around him. The planet was as barren as Arenia described it.

"We should check on the condition of the ship." Arenia said from behind him.

"Go ahead. I'll meet up with you soon." Klenon said as he walked back into the ship. He walked towards the footlocker below the beds and opened them. Inside were a couple of assault rifles and a shotgun.

"Might need these in case things get sour here." Klenon said to himself. He picked up both rifles and attached the shotgun onto his lower back. He walked back out, assault rifles in both hands, and jumped back down into the sand.

He walked to the back of the ship and saw Arenia crouched in front of one of the engines.

"How are things going here? Is the ship okay?" Klenon asked with concern.

"No. The engines themselves are fine, but the phasic conductors are shot. Without them, we can't get the engines online." Arenia said with worry.

"Phasic conductors? How can they be shot? They're one of the most protected functions on a ship." Klenon stated.

"There's only one way that a projectile could bypass all the armor and still hit them at such low altitudes." Arenia started.

"Pulse energy." Klenon finished.

"And there's only one thing that has pulse weapons." Arenia said. Klenon's grip on the rifle's tightnened.

"Geth." he said with a large amount of hate. Arenia got up and held one of his hands in both of hers.

"Klenon, I know how you feel about the geth, but you can't let it get to you now. For all we know, there could be some replacement phasic conductors in the ship." Arenia reasoned.

"Right, right. I'll...go check." Klenon said. It was obvious he was uncomfortable with the situation and Arenia had to be there for him.

"Here, hold onto this until I get back." Klenon asked, handing an assault rifle to Arenia. He put the other one on his back and returned to the ship. He climbed inside and took a sharp left and began to look through several boxes next to the bathroom door.

Unfortunately, there were no phasic conductors to be found. He shook his head in both disappointment and misery. He and Arenia, who he cared deeply for, were stranded on an unknown planet that has a possibility of geth presence.

He walked out of the ship again with a hand on his visor. Arenia was waiting for him outside.

"Was there anything?" Arenia asked. Klenon shook his head. Arenia looked down at the sand. Their chances of getting off of the planet were slim.

"I...what do we do now?" Arenia asked. She knew that there wasn't an easy answer.

"I don't know." Klenon muttered. He leaned against the damaged ship and groaned in frustration.

"Can anything be easy?" Klenon asked rhetorically. Arenia walked up next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. They stood there for a long time, contemplating any option that could be feasible.

"There might be something we could do." Klenon said. he knew it was a stupid idea but he wanted to get Arenia's opinion on it.

"What?" Arenia asked. She was eager to hear his idea.

"There are most likely geth here. Where ever they're hidden, they've got to have some resources. All we have to do is go to where ever they are and take some stuff we might need." Klenon said.

"Are you crazy? The two of us can't take on a platoon of geth!"

"I know it's a bad idea, but have you ever noticed that bad ideas usually work?" Klenon inquired. Arenia opened her mouth to reply, but she couldn't think of a good enough response.

"Right. Arenia, I want you to stay as far away from the battles as possible."

"No, Klenon, I'm going with you. I don't want you fighting geth by yourself." Arenia said firmly.

"Arenia, you're going to stay. That's the end of that. I don't want you to be in harm's way for even a second." Klenon said.

"And I don't want to see you hurt!" Arenia argued.

"But I have to do this if we're going to get out of here alive!" Klenon replied. He began to get frustrated at Arenia's attempts to go with him.

"Klenon, don't be stupid, please. You know as well as I do that fighting geth by yourself would be down-right suicide!" Arenia said. Klenon looked down at the ground and shook his head. Neither of them were willing to budge an inch. Klenon looked around and saw that the land was getting noticeably darker. He thought for a moment before turning to Arenia.

"Look, we can talk about this later. It's getting dark and I don't like being out in the open in the dark. Especially in hostile territory." Klenon said. Arenia looked around and noticed the same.

"We should go back into the ship, let's wait a while then decide what we do." Arenia agreed. The two walked back into the ship and closed the door. Inside, the ship was dimly lit, but it would have to do.

Klenon and Arenia sat down on the same bed. Neither said anything, just trying to find some kind bright side in their situation.

"I'm sorry." Klenon suddenly said. Arenia turned to him in surprise.

"Sorry? About what?"

"For being this strict with you. I'm...just trying to keep you safe. You're...important to me." Klenon said with a hint of struggle. It was still hard for him to open up.

"I understand, Klenon. You were only trying to protect me. But I really don't want to see you hurt." Arenia confessed. Klenon wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

"I know, drema. I'll try to be a little more careful in the future, for you." Klenon said while leaning his helmet against hers.

"Well, we should get some rest. It's going to be a rough day tomorrow and I want to be as refreshed as possible." Klenon said. He let go of Arenia and laid down in the bed, hands on his stomach. Arenia moved closer to him and laid down on his chest, using him as her own bed. Klenon embraced her and caressed her back.

"Get some rest, drema. You need it." Klenon whispered. Arenia hummed in response.

_I'm going to have hell to pay if I mess this up._

...

Klenon stared up at the ceiling of their ship. It had been well over an hour since they slept, or to be more precise, since Arenia slept. Klenon stayed awake the entire time. He looked down at Arenia's sleeping form. Confirming that she was indeed asleep, he carefully manuevered his hands under her.

He took a deep breath and lifted Arenia off of him. She began to shuffle, which caused Klenon to stay still. She stopped moving, signaling Klenon to move. He carefully moved out from under her and gently laid her on the bed. Arenia didn't move, she hadn't woken from her slumber.

"And people say stealth is obsolete." Klenon whispered. He stroked Arenia's helmet lovingly and pressd his visor against hers.

"I'll be back soon, drema." he whispered. He moved away from her and began to dig through a footlocker he hadn't opened. Inside was a Naginata sniper rifle.

"Hello gorgeous." Klenon whispered. He picked up the rifle and aimed down the scope. He was pleased with the rifle's condition and accuracy.

"This'll do nicely."

He attached the sniper onto his back and made his way to the door. He opened and stepped out; he took a last second look at Arenia before shutting the door. He pulled out his sniper and began to look around. He took a deep breath and started his trek across the vast wasteland.

...

Klenon climbed up the mountain for what seemed like hours. There were more than a few occasions where he would have easily slipped and fell to his death, but some quick thinking and acting kept him from an untimely death.

He grabbed a protruding rock and pulled himself up and over the slope of the mountain. Reaching the top, he took a deep breath and scanned the large area around him. The entire surface of the planet looked like a blue desert. No signs of life and no hope for having it. Much to his disappoinment, he couldn't find anything that pointed to the prescence of geth.

He was just about to turn around when a small white shape caught his eye. He turned his head towards its direction and saw a small glare, like armor shining in the light. Klenon crouched down and pulled out his sniper.

Looking through the scope, he could see a small, circle-shaped bunker. Surrounding it were geth towers and two large metallic 'rocks'.

"Think I've found our geth." he said to himself. He zoomed the scope closer and saw that there were no snipers on the towers.

_This could be my chance._

Klenon put his sniper onto his back and proceeded to move to the bunker. He slowly and carefully slid down the steep, rocky slope. Reaching the bottom, he began to quickly and quietly walk towards the bunker.

Getting closer to the bunker, Klenon pulled out his assault rifle and made it to one of the metallic 'rocks'. He placed his palm on it, trying to figure out what it was.

_If this is a geth, it's not activated. They must've barely gotten here._

Ignoring the geth, he cautiously walked towards the entrance to the bunker. He pressed a few buttons and the door unlocked. He opened the hatch and aimed around him one last time before descending into the unknown.

The hatch closed behind him, leaving him alone in a dim staircase. Walking down the stairs, he could hear the infamous stuttering that geth made. He leveled his rifle and continued down the stairs. He reached a small antechamber. No geth.

There was another door to his right. He began to hesistate. There may be more geth than he would expect, and it tore him up when he tought of Arenia waking up and not finding him, only to believe he abandoned her.

Klenon shook his head clear of that thought. He didn't want to distract himself from the goal. He walked briskly to the wall next to the door and pressed the button to open the door. He quickly leaned out of cover to see...nothing. No geth whatsoever.

Now Klenon was getting anxious. He was positive that he heard geth; he didn't imagine it. He took two steps in and the door closed behind him. The room he was in was enourmous, two floors and a large, arena-like main floor. The walls were covered in geth technology, generators from what Klenon could tell.

There were some geth technology attached to the floors, but Klenon couldn't tell what they were used for. His mind then drifted back to the eerie quiet of the bunker. He couldn't cite a reason why geth would suddenly vanish without a trace.

_They'd lay a trap._

Nolel's words echoed in Klenon's mind. He leveled his rifle as fast as lightning, quickly aiming his gun from one spot to the next. Nothing appeared, nothing happened.

Klenon moved as fast as he could to the doorway in the corner of the room; left of the entrance. It led to a staircase to ended at the second floor. He hastily jogged up the stairs and reached the top later than he'd like.

Peering through the threshold, he could see no geth. The silence was nerve-racking for Klenon. He felt as if he were surrounded by hostiles and blind. He walked down the small walkway and reached a locked door. He intstinctvely brought up his arm to activate his omni-tool but remembered that it was taken from him

_Nalt._

Not having an omni-tool at his disposal, he went with a more...direct approach. He hit the door lock with the butt of his gun and sparks flew from the panel. The door struggled to open, but eventually did so; much to Klenon's relief.

He walked in and, again, saw no geth. Inside, there was crates stacked on top of each other and shelves lined with equipment.

_One of these must have a phasic conductor._

Klenon attached his rifle to his back and began to shuffle through the shelf's contents. There were some pieces of scrap metal and some mods for weapons. No phasic conductors. He looked on the other shelves, but they were the same as the first.

Klenon groaned in frustration. He didn't want to go back to a furious Arenia empty-handed; he knew full well how protective female quarians are at the beginning of the heart melding. It was funny really, how fast they formed their relationship. It only took a few battles and a conversation. But quarians had always been like that. Klenon didn't know how alien relationships worked, but with quarians, something like this was completely normal and regular.

Pulling his mind back to reality, Klenon moved to the crates. Hovering over them, he heard another stutter. He quickly pulled out his rifle and aimed at the door. There was nothing there.

"Calm down, Klenon. If there is geth here, you can take them." Klenon affirmed. He turned his attention back to the crates and pulled the top off. Inside was a defective shotgun and a small glowing, cylinder-shaped device.

"There you are." Klenon whispered. He reached in and fished out the small conductor. Holding it in his hand, he could see that the phasic conductor was in good shape. He was actually slightly surprised that he found one here. He always had feelings about things that most of the time turned out to be true.

"Now that I have what I want, I can leave this robotic hell." Klenon said with satisfaction. He turned around and froze in place when he saw who was at the door.

"You have some questions to answer." Arenia said in a slight disappointed tone. She was leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

"Arenia...uh nice to see you." Klenon said weakly.

"WHY! I woke up only to find out that you left! I thought something happened to you!" Arenia shouted with constrained anger, taking several steps towards Klenon.

"I needed to find this." Klenon said while holding up the phasic conductor. "How did you find me?" Arenia crossed her arms again and said in a blank tone. "It's not that hard to follow footprints."

Klenon's eyes widened from her response.

_I really should have taken that into account._

Klenon looked down at the floor, defeated. He knew that something like this would've happened if he messed up. He didn't think that Arenia would be intuitive enough to notice and follow his footprints even those that went up several mountains.

"Arenia, I'm sorry, but I wanted to keep you out of harm's way and I wanted to find this" Klenon said while holding up the conductor "so that you would wake up to some good news."

"I wanted to help you, Klenon. Whether you accept it or not, we're melded now, and we need to act together on these kinds of things. We're a team, and you can't have one without the other." Arenia said in a soft voice. She walked up to Klenon and gently held his hand with both of hers.

"It's still hard to wrap my head around this. I've practically been emotionally numb when it came to any form of romance." Klenon admitted.

"I know, dremo, but you'll learn how to live with it. We're one now and with time, you'll feel better, happier even." Arenia promised.

"I hope that's the case. I could really use a vacation after this." Klenon said warmly. The two would have gotten a little more intimate if it had not been for the same stuttering that Klenon heard earlier. It was a lot more louder this time, more menacing. He instanly pulled out his rifle and Arenia brandished her shotgun.

"I'm getting you outta here. The geth took one piece of my life, I'm not going to let them take another." Klenon said with determination. Arenia cocked her shotugn and smiled.

"Synthetic bastards can eat some buckshot if they come near you." Arenia said with possessivness in her tone.

A geth charged into the door only to be quickly shot down by Arenia. Klenon took point and peered down the hall. Below them, on the first floor, there was a large group of geth. Klenon was astounded that the geth revealed themselves on such short notice.

"Go low." Kleno whispered. He went into a prone position and crawled on his stomach towards the staircase, Arenia doing the same. Two more geth charged through. Klenon grabbed one biotically and threw it at it's comrade. The two unfortunate geth were thrown over the balcony, down to the hard floor below. Klenon heard a _kang_ sound, evidence of the geths' demise.

All of the geth in the lower floor began to stutter loudly, they knew that there were intruders in their bunker.

"We need to go, now!" Klenon said.

"How are we going to get past all the geth?"

"Leave it to me."

Klenon slid his rifle over to Arenia and winked at her before getting up to his feet. Klenon biotically jumped from the balcony and landed in the center of the geth forces. Upon landing, Klenon released a field of biotic energy, pushing away everything around him. All of the geth troopers flew into the air, slamming against walls or the floor.

Arenia raced down the stairs and unloaded her sotgun on every nearby geth. A few got up only to be quickly shot down by Klenon.

"Can't waste any time! We need to get moving." Klenon stressed. The two made a beeline towards the exit. Arenia made it to the door first and tried to open it. Klenon turned around and fired at every geth that stood up.

A door suddenly opened at the far side of the room. An all too familiar kind of geth showed up, painted red with a rocket launcher in hand.

"Not you again." Klenon muttered. The rocket trooper fired a missile directly at Arenia. Klenon caught it biotically and proceeded to throw it at a group of geth.

"Arenia, get the door open!" Klenon shouted.

"Hold on...there!" she said. The door opened and Arenia ran out. Klenon turned to run, but he was sudddenly launched into the air by another one of the geth's rockets. Klenon flew inside the antechamber and rolled across the floor, landing on his stomach and smoke emanating from his suit.

"KLENON!"

Arenia ran towards him and used all her strength to flip him over. Klenon shook his head and gave an invisible grin.

"Still moving."

Arenia pulled him up to his feet. Klenon suddenly felt a burn on his chest. The rocket did mroe damage than he thought. He put his hand on his suit burn and quietly groaned.

"Don't worry about me, Arenia. Just keep moving." Klenon said. Arenia moved as fast as she could without running ahead of Klenon. She reached the hatch and Klenon opened it from behind her. The two ran out into the familiar blue landscape and ran as fast as they could back to the ship.

The metallic 'rocks' began to move and legs appeared from it's body. The large, intimidating geth looked directly at the fleeing quarians and aimed its main cannon.

"That's a colossus!" Arenia shouted in horror.

"Just keep changing directions. It can't shoot something that's constantly changing it's course." Klenon advised. The colossus fired it's large blue projectile at the two. Klenon grabbed Arenia and biotically jumped from the blast.

Landing, the two ran towards the mountain with as much energy as they could muster. Klenon began to slightly lag behind. Reaching the base of the mountain, Klenon and Arenia began to climb up, furiously climbing with evything they got. The colossus fired another round, impacting the area next to Klenon.

Arenia reached up and grabbed a rock and pulled herself up. She bent down and helped Klenon up the summit of the mountain. Reaching the top, Klenon looked behind him and saw another round from the colossus heading straight for him. He grabbed Arenia and pulled her to the floor, narrowly dodging the deadly projectile.

"Thank Keelah we made it. C'mon, up to your feet." Klenon said, pullng Arenia up.

"Let's not waste any time. We got what we came for and we should book it before more show up." Klenon said. He led the way towards their ship, eager to get off the forsaken rock.

...

Klenon sat in the pilot's chair and exhaled slowly. Arenia was outside replacing the damaged phasic conductor.

"Arenia, how are things going back there?" Klenon asked through the radio.

"Pulling out the old phasic conductor now. Give me a heads up when the engines ar back online."

"Got it."

Klenon leaned back into his chair and put his hands behind his head. He carefully watched the status of the ship for any sign of the engine's power. Klenon patted himself on the collarboneand noticed that the pocket was empty.

Klenon quickly went into a panic. He reached into the pocket and couldn't find the OSD that had the geth information. The entire evolution of the geth was in his pocket and he lost it. His memory then told him the truth. He remembered being knocked into the air by the rocket trooper. The OSD must've slipped out when he landed.

Klenon sighed loudly in misery. He failed his mission. There was no way he would be able to get that OSD with the colossi guarding the bunker. His one chance to save his people and he blew it.

"Arenia is going to kill me."

...

Inside the bunker, three geth huddled around the OSD. It was dropped by the male creator. The geth quickly reached consensus that they should keep the data in one of their terminals in the back room and return it to it's rightful place once the invasion succeeded.

**I always wondered why something so important was in an outpost far away from their territory.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry for the wait. Anyways, it's time to hold up their end of the bargain. What fun.**

**Mapped: No, my cat is not stuck in a tree. Mostly because I don't have a cat. I'm allergic. Damn my weakness to felines.**

Chapter 19: N.I.A.'s Dirty Work

"I installed the phasic conductor. The engines should be coming online any minute now." Arenia said. Klenon didn't respond, he simply continued to stare into space.

"Klenon? You okay?"

Still no response. Arenia sat down next to him and looked at him with concern.

"Klenon, what's wrong?" Arenia asked, getting worried. Klenon turned to her with a look of misery in his eyes.

"Arenia, something happened." he said with a dry throat.

"What?

Klenon began to mumble to himself. He didn't know if her should tell her about the data, but he knew, ultimately, he had to.

"Arenia, when I got hit by the rocket, the data..." Klenon's guilt prevented him from finishing his sentence.

"The data fell out of your pocket." Arenia finished.

"Yeah."

The ship fell into silence. Neither one of them knew what to say. It began to sink into their minds that they had lost something that couldn't be replaced.

"I'm so sorry." Klenon said, barely above a whisper.

"Don't be, Klenon. It wasn't your fault."

"It was my fault! If I had looked back to see that rocket coming, I would still have that data." Klenon almost shouted, which surprised Arenia. He was disappointed in himself, he should have known better , not looking back at your enemies would get you killed in the marines. He was lucky that the data was the only thing he lost.

"You can't keep beating yourself up about these things. If you do, your life will be filled with negativity." Arenia said in an attempt to calm him down.

"But I have to, it's the only way I learn from my mistakes. Because in the end, I'm just an average quarian with flashy biotics. Except I make more mistakes than I should."

"You're not average to me, Klenon. You're more than that. You may think you're worthless, but you're not. You've done so much, for me and everyone else."

"But none of it makes a difference. No matter what I do, our race is always going to be on the road to extinction." Klenon said grimly. Arenia was about to say something, but then she remembered her oath and kept her mouth shut.

"There'll be another time, Klenon. I promise. There's alway another time." Arenia said softly.

"I'm sorry, Arenia. But...I don't have a lot of confidence on that."

Arenia sighed and looked at Klenon. She wanted to comfort him, to make him feel better. But he was too stubborn.

"I wish I could do something...to...maybe make you feel better." Arenia said nervously.

"You want to take off your mask, don't you?" he said bluntly

"I...yes. I want you to see my face. You more than deserve to know." Arenia said quietly.

"Believe me, Arenia, I want to see your face. But we need to wait. When we do see each other's face, it'll be a place where there is privacy and it's clean. I want it to be right instead of rushed."

The enigines suddenly came to life, reaching full power. Klenon used the controls and steered the ship off of the surface.

"I'm setting the ship on auto-pilot. I really don't feel like driving the ship right now."

Klenon activated the auto-pilot and set the coordinates for the thieves' hideout. He got up from the pilot's seat and sat down on the bed, sighing. Arenia soon joined him.

"I'm getting tired of this." Klenon said

"Tired of what?"

"Tired of all these sidetrips. I just want to get back to the Migrant Fleet."

"But I can't stay with you." Arenia said. Klenon didn't know that Arenia meant something totally different then what he thought.

"If I have to leave the fleet to make sure you're safe on your pilgrimage, then I'll do it, without hesistation." Klenon said. Arenia leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Thank you, Klenon. I want you to be close to me, to hold me, to make me feel like everything's going to be alright." Arenia said sweetly.

"I'll do eveything I can to make you happy."

Arenia felt extremely touched by his words. She wrapped her arm around his neck and looked in his eyes.

"Really?"

"Really. You're important to me, Arenia. The last thing I want to lose." Klenon said softly. Arenia saw something in his eyes. The misery that was in them before had literally vanished without a trace. It was as if she was the one who lifted his mood. And she was glad about it, she felt complete.

It then occurred to her where her loyalties lie. It wasn't to her oath, it was to Klenon. And she knew that she had to tell him. She trusted him enough to keep it a secret.

"Klenon?

"Mmm-hmm?"

"I need to tell you something."

"What?"

Arenia looked around the room, trying to find a way to tell him. But something was keeping her from telling him. The small amount of loyalty to the oath gnawed at her, whispering into her ear that nothing good would come out of telling him.

"Nothing."

Klenon wondered why she would try to bring something up, but it was obvious that she didn't feel comfortable enough to tell him.

"Okay, drema. Just don't be afraid of telling me something. I was comfortable enough to talk to you about Nolel." Klenon recalled.

"I know."

There was a long period of silence between them. They were just enjoying each other's prescence and holding each other lovingly.

"Don't you think it's time we went to sleep?" Arenia asked.

"You go ahead, drema. I need to watch over the ship to make sure we don't crash into an asteriod." Klenon joked.

"But I want to sleep next to you." Arenia said.

"I need to keep the ship running. Don't worry, drema, we'll have more than enough time to spend together later."

Klenon got up from the bed. He turned around and put a hand on the side of Arenia's helmet.

"Sleep well. You deserve it more than I do."

Arenia gave a small giggle, then put her hand on his.

"You're always welcome to come back here if you're tired."

"I'll keep that in mind."

...

Klenon stared at the display in front of him, a view of Tyreyin was on the screen. It was a bright green planet with one ring around it. Klenon found it pleasing to look at.

_It's a shame I'm going to have to kill people here._

He looked back and saw Arenia still sleeping. A small grin grew on his face. He always thought she was adorable when she slept. He got up from his seat and walked over to her.

"Drema, wake up." He said softly while gently shaking her shoulder. Two small, white slits soon appeared behind her visor.

"Are we there?" Arenia asked with a yawn.

"Yes. Take a moment to stretch your legs, I'll land this ship as close to the bunker as I can."

Klenon walked back to his seat and switched off the auto-pilot. Arenia got up from the bed and stretched her arms. Klenon pressed several buttons and steered the ship towards the location where the coordinates specified.

Within minutes, the ship entered the planet's atmosphere and and slightly shook from the high winds.

"I'm going to have a rough time landing this thing. You might want to hold onto something, just in case." Klenon warned. Arenia jogged up behind Klenon and held onto his chair. The winds blocked any chance of seeing what was in front of the ship.

"I don't like this." Klenon said through clenched teeth. Specks of dirt and rock hit the ship from all sides. Suddenly, all of the wind's power vanished and the ship stabilized itself.

"I think we passed through the atmosphere. It should be smooth sailing from here on out." Klenon reported. The ship sped across the rocky landscape.

"How anyone can build a bunker on a landscape this rocky is beyond me." Arenia mumbled.

"The coordinates say that their bunker is just over this ridge." Klenon said while watching the display closely for anything that was artificially made. The ship passed over the ridge and to Klenon's surprise, he didn't see anything.

"There isn't anything here. These coordinates led us nowhere." Klenon said, confusion evident in his voice. Arenia kept watching the display, they had to have missed something. Maybe they didn't catch anything on the first time around.

"Klenon, bring us around again. We might have missed it."

Klenon was wondering why she would want to go back around, but he didn't question it. He did so, and turned the ship around for another pass. As soon as the display showed the ridge they passed over, both of them saw a small, circular shaped object at the base of the ridge.

"There you are." Klenon said under his breath. He moved the ship close to the entrance of the bunker and landed right next to it with a small shake.

"Come on. The sooner we're done with this, the sooner we can get out of this mess with the N.I.A." Klenon said while getting up from his seat. He walked over to the footlocker and pulled out his assault rifle and sniper.

Arenia walked up next to him and grabbed the other assault rifle and the shotgun. The both of them walked to the door and opened it. A gust of sand came into the ship, evidence of the wind's prescence.

The two hopped off the ship and briskly walked towards the entrance. Klenon grabbed a handle and pulled the door open. Inside was a staircase with another door at the bottom.

Klenon motioned his head towards the stairs and Arenia walked inside. He walked in and closed the door behind him. The two stepped down the stairs and stopped in front of the door.

"Ready?" Klenon asked.

"Ready."

Klenon pressed the door's button and the door slid open, revealing two humans sitting at a table in front of the door.

"What the fuck?" one of them shouted.

"Alert everyone else! There's qua-"

Klenon and Arenia shot both of the humans dead. They walked past them and scanned the area for any of the mods or the prototype weapon.

"Nothing."

Klenon walked over to a door to his left. He opened it and saw three humans talking. One of them saw him at the doorway and reached for his pistol. Klenon shot him in the head, alerting the other two. They turned around and attempted to take out their weapons.

Both of the humans suddenly dropped dead, three holes in each of their chests. Klenon turned around and saw Arenia with a smoking shotgun.

"Nice."

"I try."

Klenon looked around the room and saw a crate with several locks and a keypad.

"I assume either the mods or the prototype is here." Klenon said while walking towards the crate. He individually broke each of the locks with the butt of his gun. He dropped his rifle on the floor and looked at the keypad.

"How am I going to do this without an omni-tool?" he said to himself. Arenia moved to one of the dead humans and searched him for anything useful. She found a small, balled-up sheet of paper in one of their pockets.

"Found something. A code." she said while unwrapping the paper. Klenon got up and walked next to her.

"578793561." Klenon read aloud. He walked back to the crate and input the code. A small beep emitted from the keypad and it flashed green. Klenon opened the top part of the crate. Inside were several OSDs.

"Found the mods." he said while pulling them out.

"Good. Just need to find the prototype."

Klenon put each OSD in his pocket and grabbed his rifle. Both of themk walked back to the main chamber and walked towards a door on the opposite side of the room. Before he reached it, it opened and rifle fire immediatly commenced.

"Nalt!" Klenon shouted as he moved from the door. Arenia fired a few slugs before taking cover next to the door.

"There's a lot of them!" Arenia shouted. Klenon ran to the other side of the door and returned fire. Arenia peered out the door and saw seven humans and turians taking cover behind tables and firing at the door. She took out her assault rifle and fired back.

Klenon glowed the blue of his biotics and lifted a table away, exposing two turians. Arenia fired at the two turians, killing both. A human got up and threw a tech mine at Klenon. Reacting quickly, Klenon shot the mine in mid-flight, wounding a nearby turian.

Arenia fired at the wounded turian, but wasn't able to kill him. The wounded turian grabbed his pistol from his belt and fired, almost hitting Arenia. Klenon acted wuickly and finished off the wounded turian.

"No one touches her." he muttered under his breath. He peered out from cover and noticed a human running from the firefight, into a door on the far side of the room.

"One of them left. I think he has something in store for us." Klenon said.

"Well let's finish off these bosh'tets before we go after him." Arennia replied. Klenon fired three rounds, killing a human. Klenon holstered his rifle and got into a crouching position. He dashed into the room, dodging rifle fire, and hid behind a table.

He sat there silently, waiting for the right moment to strike. When he heard a brief pause in rifle fire, he took his shot. He jumped out from cover and sprinted to the nearby turian.

He punched the turian in the neck and wrapped his arm around his neck and used his other hand to grab the turian's gun, directing the fire to the last human. Klenon fired a couple of rounds and killed the human.

After killing the human, Klenon snapped the turian's neck; kiling him instantly. Arenia watched the whole thing. She was impressed at his dexterity and cunning.

"One thief left." he said. Arenia walked up to him and nodded.

"Let's hope he's not using the prototype." Klenon said.

"If he is, this is going to make things harder for the both of us."

"I'm pretty sure I can take him."

"Pretty sure?"

"Hey, sometimes, you have to be humble about your skills."

"Sounds like you don't have confidence in your skills." Arenia teased.

"Yeah, we'll see about that when I take care of the guy by myself."

"You think you can take him by yourself? Okay, go ahead."

"Maybe I will, sit back and watch. I promise you I can take this by myself."

Klenon walked towards the door and pulled out his sniper. He had a small smile under his visor. It was nice having Arenia around to ease the tension in the room. He stood next to the door and pressed the button to open the door.

Klenon peered one eye out into the room before he was shot at by a sniper rifle.

"KEELAH!" he shouted as he moved his head out of the way. He looked at Arenia, who had her arms crossed and had her head tilted to one side. Kelnon couldn't see it, but he knew that Arenia had a wide grin under her visor.

"Okay...so I might need a little help." Klenon said.

"I knew it. You can't stay alive for one second without me." Arenia said smugly.

"I can do just fine without you, thank you very much."

"Then why do you need my help?

"Because it never hurts to have a little bit more help."

Arenia shook her head and walked up next to him.

"So what do we do?"

Klenon tried to see as much of the room as he could without getting shot at.

"There's a covered railing right behind this door. If we can get to it, we'll get closer to the guy." Klenon said.

"Well it's the best we got. Might aswell go with it." Arenia replied.

"On three."

Both of them got ready to run.

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

Both of them ran into the room, getting shot at by the fortified sniper. Klenon slid over to the covered rail, Arenia immediatly following. A sniper bullet hit their cover and a small dent protruded between the two of them. The room they were in was a large square shaped with a bridge connecting the two halves. The sniper was on the other side.

"Okay, can you see the sniper, Klenon?"

He looked over the rails and saw a human with a silver sniper rifle aiming at the both of them.

"I see him. He's got the high-ground. It's going to be tough getting to him."

"Maybe you can get behind him somehow." Arenia suggested.

"I can, but it's going to be risky. He can probably shoot me out of the sky."

Arenia thought for a moment then came up with an idea.

"Here, take my rifle. Use both of them to make sure he can't hit you." Arenia said while holding out her rifle.

"You want me to hold a rifle in each hand?" Klenon said with a small degree of shock.

"Yes."

"This sounds like a bad idea."

"Have you ever noticed that bad ideas usually work?"

Klenon gave a small laugh when Arenia used his own arguement against him.

"Alright. Let's hope this works."

Arenia handedhim her rifle and Klenon grabbed it. Bringing up his own rifle in the other hand, he paused for a moment to concentrate.

"Here goes nothing."

He biotically jumped into the air and fired both rifles as soon as his feet left the ground. The sniper was dumbstruck when he saw a flying quarian with two assault rifles heading towards him.

Klenon flew over the sniper and landed on his feet. He tossed both rifles aside and charged at the sniper.

He tackled the human against the rails and punched him in the face. The human retaliated by punching Klenon in the stomach. Klenon grabbed the human and smacked his head against the rail multiple times, blood was pouring from the human's forehead.

Klenon threw the human to the floor and pulled out his sniper. The human crawled backwards, afraid.

"Sorry about this, but you should've known this would happen." Klenon said, putting his boot on the human's neck and aiming his sniper at the human's head.

"F-Fuck you!"

"Tsk, tsk. No manners? Ah well."

Klenon fired his sniper once, killing the human. A small hole on his forehead began to ooze blood. Klenon removed his boot and walked over to the silver sniper.

"I'm assuming this is what I need." Klenon said, looking over the rifle.

"Are we done?" Arenia asked, walking up to him.

"Yes, yes we are. Time to get out of here and get the group out of jail." Klenon said as he attached the silver sniper onto his lower back.

"Let's head back to the ship then."

Klenon grabbed both of the rifles he dropped and handed one back to Arenia. The two of them walked casually back to the ship, leaving a trail of dead bodies behind them.

...

Klenon opened the ship's door and stepped inside. Small bits of sand blew into the ship with him. Arenia climber inside and closed the door behind her.

"I really want to go back to Noveria just to leave it again." Klenon said.

"Don't worry, Klenon. Once we're done with buisness on Noveria, we can...i mean you, can go back to the Migrant Fleet." Arenia said in a half-happy tone.

"I still don't want to tell them that I failed to get the data." Klenon said.

"If they punish you for that, then they're not people. It wasn't your fault that we lost it, Klenon." Arenia said.

"I know, but It's still going to be hard."

Arenia and Klenon sat down on the chairs and begtan to prep the ship for lift-off.

Arenia leaned back into her chair and thought for a moment. After everything she and Klenon had been through together, she trusts him to do the right thing. He has always done what was good for the quarian people. She looked at him preparing the ship. He would never do anything to jeopordize the saftey of the quarian race. She felt that if she told him, he would keep it a secret, for their sake.

"Klenon?" she said.

"Yeah?" Klenon asked, looking at her with caring eyes.

"I nee-, I want to tell you something." Arenia said. Klenon knew thaat she said the same thing last time, and he fully expected her to not say anything. Still, he went along with it.

"What?" he asked, trying to be as comforting as possible.

Arenia was about to talk until her oath popped into her mind again.

_No, not this time._

"Not here." she blurted out. "When we get back to our ship, then I'll tell you." she said.

"Whatever you want, drema." Klenon asid softly. He returned his attention to the display in front of him and continued the preperations.

Arenia turned away and looked at her small blue stone. She flipped around, viewing it from all sides.

_I will tell him._

_Keelah, I will tell him._

**Tell him what, Arenia? Tell him what!**

**I'm going to try very hard to get the next chapter out faster and longer than this one. To make up for lost time. Need to keep you guys happy, right? It's what I always try to do. Ferret out.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Would you live in an ice planet? Non-stop blizzards and yetis to your heart's content is basically what I think when I hear Noveria.**

**Hawk: I like the suspense. It's good times :)**

**Mapped: I can haz props? Can I have a phonebooth that I can put in my room so I can jump out in a superman costume? :D**

**Cutlass-Cougar: Nice to know that people don't mind the wait. :)**

Chapter 20: Family Issues

"We're working for the N.I.A, damn it!" Klenon shouted through the radio. He and Arenia had reuturned to Noveria only to be questioned by their uptight security.

"Sir, unless you have valid proof that you do, we cannot give you a vector or a berth." a man said over the radio. Klenon gave a frustrated sigh then responded.

"Just talk to someone from the N.I.A! They'll tell you." Klenon said with noticable frustrastion. Inwardly, he didn't actually have confidence that someone from Internal Affairs would vouch for them.

"I can't just go in there and ask them that, sir. It's against protocols." the man said in a cool voice.

_Damn protocols._

"Then how else are we going to convince you that we're working for them?"

"You should have valid proof, like and I.D or an assigned number."

Klenon put his hand on his visor. The idiot wasn't giving him an easy time. Arenia moved closer to Klenon and whispered something to him so the man on the radio wouldn't hear it. Klenon smiled under his helmet then moved to the radio.

"I don't have to take this kind of crap, you know? If I can't get back in there, I'll have to report it to the Migrant Fleet, then your precious companies will lose all the quarians that are doing the actual work and this planet will collapse under it's own weight. And you'll be responsible for it all." he said in a feigned, threatning tone.

The man seemed to hesitate because he didn't respond for a few seconds.

"I understand, ma'am, but I don't like it." Klenon heard faintly.

"Looks like I got to them. Good call, Arenia."

"Sir, please dock to berth number 52." the man said, cutting the line soon after. Klenon steered the ship through the thick blizzard and soon spotted their berth. He slowed the ship's speed and carefully moved it into the dock. The ship slowed to a complete stop and the magnetic clamps attached themselves to the wings of the ship.

"Arenia, grab the prototype and go on without me, I'll shut down the ship's systems and meet up with you." Klenon said while flipping a few switches. Arenia got up and walked towards the bed where the prototype was.

She picked it up and began to look it over. It was in fairly good condition, so she was pretty sure that Gianna would take it back and consider the deal fulfilled. She put the sniper under her arm and headed to the door, leaving Klenon to shut-off the remaining systems of the ship.

The door slid open and a rush of cold air hit Arenia. She walked down the dock's path and stopped in front of a balcony that overlooked the snow outside. She put her hands on the balcony and admired the frozen world outside.

A shiver went up her spine as her gloved hands made contact with the cold stone. As much as she enjoyed watching the snow, she couldn't wait to get off the planet...and tell Klenon everything that's she kept secret since she left.

"I'm sorry, Maleko, but I trust him enough to tell him." she told herself. She moved her hands away from the balcony and began to walk away from the ship, sniper under her arm. She arrived to a glass door and it slid open.

"Welcome to Port Hanshan. Please proceed to processing at the far end of the room." a friendly voice said over a speaker above the glass door.

Arenia took a moment to observe the room she was in. There was a small waterfall in front of her with small flights of stairs on both sides that led up to a desk which Arenia assumed was processing. She moved towards a flight of stairs and walked up.

Reaching the top, she noticed that the person they were supposed to meet, Gianna Parasini, was already at the receptionist's desk.

"I see you came back without any trouble." she smirked.

"So you heard?" Arenia asked, walking up to her.

"Internal Affairs always monitors radio communications. You know, for security."

"Because this planet just never has enough."

"We do what we can to make sure everything here runs like a well-oiled machine."

Arenia put the rifle on the desk and crossed her arms.

"I assume our friends will be released from custody."

Gianna grabbed the rifle and put it under the desk.

"With time. Damn paperwork always needs to be done first, but I assure you, you will be exempted from any charges and your personal belongings will be returned."

"Good."

Klenon walked up from behind her and noticed Gianna sitting at the desk. He pulled out the OSD's from his pockets and put them on the desk. Gianna scooped them up and put them under the desk aswell.

"Ma'am."

"Your friends are being released as promised."

"What about our equipment? I trust that they will also be relinquished to us."

"Of course, after you do the paperwork for them." Gianna said with a grin. She pulled out a datapad and handed it to Klenon. He took and looked it over. It was filled with legal contracts and license agreements. He signed his name and handed it back to Gianna.

"Here is your equipment. It was a pleasure doing buisness with you." Gianna said. A turian wearing an ERCS uniform came from the back with a large box and placed it on the desk. Gianna and the turian walked into the back room and closed the door behind them.

"Well, that went better than I expected." Klenon muttered while opening the box.

"What did you expect?"

"Half a dozen guards trying to cheat us into another deal." Klenon joked as he peered inside the box. All of their omni-tools, weapons, and other utilities were inside, unharmed. Klenon reached inside and pulled out a small beeping rod and put it on his wrist. He pulled out another one and handed it to Arenia.

He then noticed his knife among the equipment. He pulled it out gently and placed it in it's rightful place on his belt.

"Hope they didn't mess with my omni-tool." Arenia said. She put the rod on her wrist and acticvated her omni-tool. It opened up without any trouble and all of Arenia's data was intact.

Klenon did the same and saw that his omni-tool was functioning normally.

"Let's go to Synthetic Insights and pick everyone up. We can get off this planet and decide our next move."

...

"Denied." Lorik Qui'in said aloud. He closed the message and moved on to the next one in his inbox.

"N.I.A's deal?"

Lorik opened up the message and read it carefully.

"I see. Politicians, crude people they are." Lorik typed a response and reached for an intercom next to his terminal.

"Lieutenant, please release our prisoners from custody."

"Sir?"

"Backroom deals, I'm sure. Just release them." Lorik insisted, turning off the intercom.

"You are a sly quarian aren't you?"

The doors to his office suddenly opened and two ERCS guards plus a salarian walked in.

"Administrator Anoleis, how can I help you?"

"Skip the friendliness, Qui'in. I know all about your corruption." Anoleis said bluntly. Lorik's mandibles began to flare.

"What are you talking about, Administrator? Surely you don't believe that I am corrupt."

"I know that there is a substantial amount of evidence in this facility."

"I assure you, there is no evidence that I am corrupt because I am not." Lorik said, keeping a cool head.

"Regardless of what you say, you are under my rules and therefore, under my jurisdiction." Anoleis said. Lorik did not reply.

"Guards, please escort Lorik Qui'in and all the other Synthetic Insights personnel out of the facility." Anoleis ordered. Lorik stood up from his chair and cooperated with the guards.

_He knows. He knows about the evidence. I need to find a way to get back here._

Lorik was escorted out of his office, leaving Anoleis alone. Anoleis looked at Qui'in's computer intently.

"I know you're hiding what I want, Qui'in. And it's only a matter of time before I find it."

...

Klenon and Arenia sat on a bench waiting for the others to be released. Arenia was just scanning the room while Klenon fiddled with his omni-tool. He opened and closed several windows, checking to make sure that everything was in working order.

Klenon then noticed something peculiar. He noticed that someone had sent him a message. He pressed a button and the message popped up.

_Klenon,_

_I need your help right away! I got myself into trouble and now I'm being chased by a spectre! I stole something that he didn't want me to have and he's trying to kill me! Please get this soon, I don't know how long I can survive by myself._

_- Tali'Zorah_

"Oh Keelah!" Klenon shouted, jumping up from the bench.

"What?"

"The admiral's daughter is in danger! How long ago did she send me this?"

Klenon checked when it was sent and his eyes widened in shock.

"Four days ago! She sent me this four days ago! She could be dead by now! Damn this planet, and damn the N.I.A!" Klenon shouted, infuriated by the situation.

"Send a reply. Maybe she found a way out of that mess by herself." Arenia suggested. Klenon agreed and began to type a reply.

_Tali,_

_I'm sorry I couldn't get your message fast enough. I need you to tell me where you are so I can get you. Please reply soon, I'll get their as soon as I can!_

_-Klenon'Lehto_

"Keelah, please tell me she's okay." Klenon muttered under his breath, sitting back down.

"Everything is going to be okay, Klenon. You've seen her fight, she can take care of herself.

"Damn N.I.A. If they hadn't taken my omni-tool, I would have been able to get there quicker."

"She a smart girl, Klenon. She can outsmart anyone that crosses her." Arenia assured.

"Keelah, I hope you're right."

Klenon's omni-tool beeped, telling him he recieved a new message. He silently thanked the ancestors for her quick reply. He hastily opened the message, anxious to see if she was okay.

_Klenon,_

_Don't worry. I'm fine now. I was in some major trouble at the Citadel but someone saved me. Commander Shepard is his name. He's been really kind to me and he watches out for my safety. He even let me on his ship! It's the most advanced thing I've ever seen! I think I'm going to be okay if I stick with him. _

_I have to go now, we're landing on a planet called Therum and he picked me to go with him._

_-Tali'Zorah_

Klenon breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"She's okay. She's on a human's ship." he said, leaning his head against the wall.

"She's with a human? Don't you think that's a little risky?" Arenia said with concern in her voice.

"Why would that be risky?"

"Humans haven't been around long enough for us to know what they are really like. That human may be a danger to Tali."

"That human is part of his military. And he's going to treat her just fine." Klenon said.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Call it a feeling."

"Does that feeling get you into trouble often?"

Klenon looked at her then grinned.

"Oh no. You're not going to trick me into saying yes or no."

"It was worth a shot."

Klenon brought up his omni-tool again and began to type something.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm typing a reply."

_Tali,_

_I'm really sorry I couldn't get to you when I could. I trust that the commander you are serving with will treat you with respect. If you ever need my help, for any reason, I promise you that I will come through. It's my duty to serve authority figures, you included._

_-Klenon'Lehto_

"You think you can keep that promise?" Arenia asked, reading the message.

"I know I can, drema. It's the least I could do since I failed her last time."

A door to their right suddenly opened and Tara, Rekko, and Darin stepped out.

"Boy am I glad to see you guys." Rekko said in a tone of relief.

"Thanks for busting us out of there. Staying in a cramped cell for a week was probably the only vacation we're going to get though." Tara said. Darin just smiled.

"Rekko, how did they get to you? You were with your brother." Klenon asked. Ever since he heard that Rekko was arrested aswell, he was curious as to how.

"Bastards got me while I was in the bathroom. Didn't even have the decency to knock." Rekko scoffed.

"Speaking of bathrooms, I've got to go. I'll meet up with you guys later at the ship, assuming your brother fixed it." Tara said, turning to Rekko.

"Hey don't worry, Li is a master mechanic. He had a week to work on the ship and I am confident that he's done. In fact, let's get to the ship now, just so i can prove it." Rekko said, making his way to the docks.

"He certainly is confident. I give him that much." Arenia said, watching him leave.

"I'll see you guys later. I'm going to look for a bathroom." Tara said, leaving Darin, Klenon , And Arenia behind.

"Let's follow, Rekko. I really want to get off of this planet," Klenon said, going after Rekko. Arenia and Darin followed suite.

...

Tara walked out of the stall and towards the sink. The sensor on the wall detected her in the vicinity and water began to pour out of the wall. Soap began to foam out of a grate next to the sensor. Tara began to wash her hands, enjoying the warm water pouring around and under her hands.

"Tara."

She turned around only to have a rag forced onto her mouth. She struggled to remove it, but more hands grabbed her, restricting her movement.

"Payback is a bitch, ain't it?"

Tara struggled to breath, but the rag was soaked in a chemical that made her feel lightheaded and woozy. Soon her vision went black and she fell unconscious.

...

"Thrusters are at optimal capacity and life support is a hundred percent." Arenia said, leaning over the pilot's chair.

"I guess I owe you one, Li." Rekko said, shaking his brother's hand.

"Eh, it was the least I could do. You know, for old times sake." Li said.

"Why don't you come with us? We could always use another mechanic." Rekko offered.

"Fly isn't really my thing, despite the fact that I repair ships. Besides, Noveria pays me good money to do nothing. It'd be nothing short of a miracle to get to repair two ships in one day." Li laughed.

"Then we part ways. It was good seeing you again, Li."

"Yes it was, yes it was."

Li turned around and walked out of the ship.

"It's been half an hour, where's Tara?" Klenon asked, leaning against the pilot's controls.

"Women take a long time in the bathroom. I guess...you guys wouldn't know that." Rekko said, looking at Arenia.

"Hey, piss off." Arenia smirked, leaning on Klenon.

"Did I miss something here?" Rekko asked, confused as to why Arenia was leaning against Klenon.

"Let's just say, you might not want to mess with her." Klenon said, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Well isn't this juicy." Rekko muttered. Darin walked up from behind him gave a thumbs-up.

"I'm glad to have your approval, Darin." Klenon said. He nodded then tapped Rekko on the shoulder.

"What?"

Darin pointed at his wrist.

"I don't know what time it is."

Darin frowned and pointed at his wrist again.

"I think he's worried about Tara being late too." Klenon said. Darin nodded.

"Well if you two are so worried about her, why don't you go look for her?" Rekko said.

"I actually think we should, just to be safe." Klenon said, letting go of Arenia.

"Whatever you guys wanna do. I'll stay here and get the ship ready for launch, just so that the entire planet won't hear me rubbing it in your guy's faces when I'm right."

Darin, Klenon, and Arenia all walked outside of the ship. Arenia slapped Rekko in the back of the head.

"Ow. That was uncalled for." Rekko complained.

"Bosh'tet."

The three exited the ship, back onto the Noveria docks.

"Which way to the bathrooms?" Klenon abruptly asked. Both Arenia and Darin shrugged.

"Doesn't it seem a little pathetic that three grown people don't know the way to the bathroom?" Klenon said.

"No, it's only pathetic for Darin." Arenia said, pointing her thumb at the silent salarian. Darin just glared at her.

"I'll go look for one then. Arenia, stay here, just in case Tara get's back while were gone." Klenon said. Klenon and Darin walked away from her, looking for any sign of Tara.

They arrived at the main walkway that split off into different directions to other ships. Klenon was about to turn until Darin grabbed onto his wrist.

"What?"

Darin pointed to his right. Klenon followed the finger and saw a human, turian and two asari heading towards their ship. Klenon noticed that an asari with a pink dress was slung over the turian's shoulder.

"That's Tara, isn't it?" Klenon asked rhetorically. Darin just nodded. Klenon motioned for Arenia to come over. As soon as she got there, Klenon pointed at the ship that Darin pointed at.

"Found Tara."

Arenia looked out and saw the five people entering the ship.

"Why am I not surprised."

"Let's go. we can still catch them before they take off." Klenon said, sprinting after the ship. Darin and Arenia followed him. They sprinted past two ships before making it to the kidnapper's ship.

All three tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

"Nalt. There's got to be a way in there." Klenon said, slamming his fist against the door. Darin looked around and saw a small hatch on the top of the ship. He tapped on Klenon's shoulder then pointed at it.

"There? We can't get up there and even if we could, we can't fit in a hatch that small." Klenon said with a feeling of hopelessness. Darin pointed at himself.

"You want to get in there?"

Darin nodded. Klenon looked at Arenia, who nodded in agreement with Darin.

"I don't like this." Klenon muttered.

"We don't have to like it, let's just give Darin a boost up there before this ship takes off." Arenia said with urgency. Klenon put his fingers together and lowered his hands to his knees. Darin put his foot on Klenon's hand and boosted himself up onto the top of the ship.

"Here, Darin, take this." Klenon said, tossing his knife up to Darin.

"Stay out of trouble. Avoid a fight unless necessary." Klenon advised. Darin nodded then put the knife in his pocket.

"And here, Darin." Arenia said, tossing a small, sickly-yellow circle. Darin caught it and looked it over.

"It's a tracking beacon. Turn it on when you get inside, so we can see where this ship is heading." Arenia said. Darin put the beacon in another pocket and nodded.

"Be careful, Darin. Keelah guide you." Arenia said.

"We're heading back to the ship. As soon as this one lifts off, we follow it as closely as possible without being detected. Keelah guide you." Klenon said. The ship slightly shook as the magnetic clamps let go of the ship's wings.

"Get in Darin, now." Klenon said. Darin opened the hatch and jumped inside.

"He's on his own now. C'mon, let's get the ship moving." Klenon said, running back to the ship with Arenia following him.

"Do you think he will be fine?" Arenia asked.

"I haven't seen him in action much, but from what I've seen, he can take anyone that's in that ship." Klenon assured.

...

Klenon ran into the ship and halted to a complete stop. Arenia slid inside and almost bumped into Klenon.

"Rekko, get the ship ready." Klenon said. Rekko was already sitting in the pilot's chair.

"Already? Where's Darin and Tara?"

"No time to explain, just follow that ship that's leaving the docks." Klenon said, pointing at it from a side window.

"Whatever you say." Rekko said, turning the engines on and releasing the magnetic clamps from the ship's wings.

The ship back out of the docks and rotated around. The ship Tara and Darin were on was already leaving.

"Go, Rekko, now!" Klenon said. Rekko put full power into the engines and sped after the kidnapper's ship.

...

Darin landed on a big crate. From what he could tell, he was in the cargo hold. He reached into his pocket and activated the beacon. It chirped in response and began to beep a green light.

Darin put it back into his pocket and looked for a place to hide.

"Hey, did you hear that the Palaven Stagnites are going to be in the super bowl this year?" A human said. Darin saw two humans walking towards the room.

"What? Who said that?" the other human said.

"I did, have you seen how many wins they have this year? There's no way they can't be in the super bowl."

Darin jumped down from the box and hid behind a nearby stack of crates.

"I bet they aren't. The Steelers are going to beat them. I'm one hundred percent sure."

"Yeah, we'll see sunday. But I can guarantee that they are."

Darin shook his head. He knew that the Steeler's were going to be in the super bowl, not the Stagnites.

**For the record, I'm not a Steelers fan. Let's not bring the fight to a you guys ever wonder if the football teams today exists in Mass Effect?**

**Anyways, there is something that has become somewhat of a conflict for me. So I thought what better way to decide than to let you, the reader, make the choice.**

**There is, at some point, going to be quarians without their masks on. I can guarantee that, but I don't know if I should describe their faces.**

**So, would you rather me not have a description and let your imaginations make the face, or do you want me to use my own description of their faces? Let me know. Ferret out.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Well it's pretty clear what I'll do regarding the quarians' faces. No description it is. Sorry for those who may have wanted it.**

**Mapped: Do I have to pay for shipping and handling? And to your confusion, I guess I should stick to the old way I write. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?**

Chapter 21: Rescue and Revelation

"Darin, we're following the ship as close as we can, but we still need to keep our distance to avoid being detected. This ship is way more heavily armed and armored than that slaver ship that took me and Arenia hostage." Klenon said over the radio. Darin peered out from behind the boxes and looked for the humans that were there a second ago.

"Does the ship even have radars? If they do, maybe Darin can find a way to take them down." Arenia suggested.

"It's impossible to tell from here. The only way we can find out is if we get close enough, but they'll be able to see us if they do." Klenon said.

"Maybe Darin can snoop around for any signs of detection equipment." Arenia said.

"He can. The majority of ships have radars but a few are deprived of that. Darin, if you can, look for radar or ladar equipment that may be hiding somewhere on that ship. If you find any, take them down so we can board the ship and get you some back up." Klenon ordered, cutting the line off.

Darin sneaked to another crate and looked for the humans that had seemingly disappeared. He pulled out Klenon's knife and peered around the corner of the box. He was barely able to make out a sliver of what appeared to be armor. The humans were behind Darin's crate.

Darin lifted himself up onto the crate and laid down, trying not to be seen by the humans. He crawled to the edge and noticed that they were staring at the door ahead of them; they wouldn't be able to see him.

Darin tightened his grip on the knife and raised it high above one of the human's head.

"Hey you think I can ask your sister out?" one of them said.

"What? Why?" the other asked, surprised by the sudden question.

"Dunno. She is kinda hot though."

"I don't know. It'd be kinda aw-"

Darin jammed the knife into the human's skull, making a loud cracking sound. Blood sprayed over the crate behind him, onto Darin, and the human next to the unfortunate man.

"What the fu-"

Darin jumped down and punched the human in the face. He grabbed the knife just as the dead human slid down the crate and rammed it into the human's neck. Blood cascaded from the human's neck as he gurgled his last few words of confusion and anger.

Darin pulled out the knife and cleaned it with his coat. He bent down and took a pistol from one of the human's belt.

He quickly walked out of what he assumed was the cargo hold and found himself in an empty room. He walked over to a door in the corner of the room and cautiously opened it. He poked his head outside into a narrow hallway.

"Griffth and Delara, get to deck three and assist the captain with our passenger." a voice on the intercom said.

"I'm assuming their passenger is Tara. I have no idea what they want from her, but it can't be good." Klenon said over the radio.

"This is why we gotta get her out, but Darin is still going to need to deactivate any kind of detection array beofre we can move in." Arenia said.

"Right. Darin, proceed as planned. If anything goes awry, let us know so we can move in. I want for this to be quick and quiet." Klenon said, cutting the line.

Darin steeped out into the hall and looked to his left and right; no hostiles. He held his pistol tightly in both hands and walked to his left. The ship was quiet. Darin couldn't hear any talking or any other sign of life. The only thing he heard was the ship itself.

He stopped in front of a door and opened it, half expecting there to be someone on the other side. When it did, there was a turian sleeping soundly on a bed against the wall.

Darin pulled out Klenon's knife and sneaked to the turian's bedside. He carefully placed the knife on the turian's neck and cut cleanly through his throat, a slight gurgle was the only evidence to the turian's reaction.

Darin sheathed the knife and searched the room for anything valuable. His eye caught a few boxes stacked ontop of each other on the opposite wall. He briskly walked over to them and pulled off the top.

Inside were a few explosive charges and a detonator. He picked up all of the charges and the detonator and put them in every available space in his coat.

He put the cover back on the crate and sneaked out of the room, leaving the still-bleeding corpse of the turian behind.

Back in the hallway, Darin noticed an asari walking down the hall, facing away from him. Darin pulled out his pistol and aimed down the sights, carefully placing the sights on the back of the asari's head.

Darin was suddenly grabbed from behind. He was pulled to his feet and and an arm wrapped around his neck. The surprise made him drop his pistol.

"Paloa, check this out. Looks like we got ourselves a stowaway." the human said. The asari turned around and saw the helpless salarian.

"Rolana doesn't like having uninvited guests. Guess we're going to have to deliver you to her personally." Paloa said. Darin tried fiercely to get out of the humans grip, futilely elbowing his stomach.

"He's a fighter isn't he?" the human commented.

"He is. I'm sure Rolana will enjoy tearing him apart. I know I would" Paloa said in a sinister tone.

A voice started to come from Darin, which caught both the human's and the asari's attention.

"Looks like someone has some friends looking out for him." the asari said. She walked up to Darin to find out where the voice was coming from.

Darin jumped up and kicked the asari with as much force as he could muster, pushing her back. The human was about to hit Darin until he was headbutted by the salarian, letting him go.

Darin picked up his pistol and shot the asari three times. He quickly spun around and fired one perfectly placed round on the human's forehead. Both the human and the asari fell to the floor, lifeless.

"Darin, you there?" Klenon said.

Darin brought his hand up to his ear, where his communicator was.

"You owe me for that." Klenon said.

"Rolana must be the ship's captain. She might the one who wanted Tara." Arenia said.

"Then Darin may need to find her if we want to know where they put Tara." Klenon replied.

"I would actually advise against that. This person is the captain for a reason. I have no doubt that this Rolana person could hold her own in a fight and she may well have some muscle with her." Rekko said.

"I guess we have no choice but to continue with the current objective. Darin still needs to find any kind of detection units. Darin, we can't wait forever. We can only spare about forty-five minutes before we have to move in, regardless if they know we're here or not. Good luck." Klenon said, cutting the line.

Daron looked around the hall he was in, making sure noone saw the small skrimish. Deciding it was clear, Darin walked down the hall, pistol in hand.

Reaching the end of the hall, Darin stopped in front of an elevator. He pressed the call button and turned around with a leveled pistol, ensuring that nobody will sneak up behind him. A small _ding_ sound was heard, telling Darin his elevator had arrived.

He turned around as the elevator door opened. Thankfully, it was empty. He stepped inside and thought about which floor to go to.

There were five decks, all them would be crawling with hostiles. Darin had to pick carefully. The choice could either keep him alive or kill him where he stands.

Darin ultimately decided to go to the lowest deck, figuring that there wouldn't be much people on what he assumed was the engineering deck.

He patiently waited for the elevator to reach the bottom floor, when he began to wonder if Tara was on this deck. He could set her free and then they could get out of here easier than planned.

The elevator's door slowly slid open, making Darin anxious to see what was on the other side. Darin walked through the half-way open door and was pleasantly surprised to still see noone.

The elevator door closed behind him and ascended to another deck. In front of Darin was a large blastdoor with lockers on both sides.

Darin also saw a computer on the wall to the left of him. He headed towards it and turned it on. A series of numbers came up and a menu came up that had the status of, fortunately, the radar array.

Darin brought up his omni-tool and took a snapshot of the menu's and sent it to Klenon.

"So they do have radars. Darin, find it, shut it down, and we can move in." he said. Darin quickly found the command for shutting down the array, and pressed it. A small window appeared for, unsurprisingly, a password.

Darin, despite the almost-true stereotype that salarians knew everything, didn't know how into a computer. A door lock yes, but not a computer. A thought suddenly popped into his head. If there was an array for the radar, that meant there was a machinery that could be destroyed to deactivate it.

Darin looked through the terminal some more, hoping to find the location of the array. He found a small file that read 'Power Flow' and opened it. Inside was a detailed diagram of the ship. Several blue arrows moved from the fusion plant of the ship, which was located in the back of the ship. The blue arrows all flowed to a grouping of antannaes outside the ship

The array was outside, in the vacuum of space. Darin would have to go outside to destroy it. He looked back at the large blastdoor that took up most of the far wall. It was most likely a large airlock.

Darin then eyed the lockers next to the door. There might be a pressure suit or a breathing apparatus that could let him survive the harshness of the foreign enviroment.

Darin headed toward the lockers and opened the first one. There were various tools and scrap metal, but no pressure suits or apparatuses.

He checked the next locker. Inside was only a helmet for a pressure suit. He still took it out and moved on to the last locker on that side of the blast door. Opening it, he found the rest of the pressure suit. He pulled out the suit and began to put it on.

After Darin put on the pressure suit's helmet, he activated his omni-tool and sent all of the information he learned to Klenon. He then attached all of the charges onto his pressure suit so that they wouldn't float away.

"Good, Darin, find a way to destroy the array and once they're blind, we can go in guns blazing." Klenon said.

"Would that be the smartest thing to do?" Rekko asked.

"Oh, right, probably not. Still, we go in to help you." Klenon said.

Darin stepped in front of the blast door and took a deep breath. He had never been in space. He walked up to a small red panel next to the door and pressed a button. The large blast door creaked open, showing that it hadn't been in use in some time.

Once the door had opened all the way, Darin stepped inside the airlock. The door closed behind him and a cool female voice said "Entering vacuum, please secure your pressure suits."

Air began to be sucked out of the airlock in a blistering pace. Once all the air was gone, the outer blast door opened and the beautiful vista of space appeared.

"Warning, faliure to stay on the ship will result in spacing. Please verify that your magnetic boots are operating at peak efficiency." the voice said. Darin stepped to the edge of the airlock and looked around. His eye then caught the radar array ontop of the ship; close to the bridge.

Darin hopped off of the airlock and his boots immediatly clamped onto the metal exterior of the ship. He was slightly relieved. He didn't think that would work.

Darin hurried to the array as fast as he could in the vacuum, along the side of the ship. Slowly but surely he made his way to the radar array.

Darin finally made it to the general area of the array and climbed to the top of the ship. It was strange. Everything around him was so...quiet; and he was about to ruin it all.

Darin slowly walked up to the base of the array and pulled out the charges. He placed each of them around the base and activated them.

The charges' lights bean to beep, but no sound emitted. Still, Darin needed to get out of there, fast. He hopped away as the charges blared their silent warning.

Darin suddenly felt a wave of heat on his back. The chrages had detonated and the ship was now 'blind'. Darin climbed back onto the side of the ship and began to make his way back to the airlock.

...

"Rolana, our radars have gone down." an asari said below her.

"What? How is that possible?" Rolana said while getting up from her seat. It was obvious the she was irritated.

"I don't know ma'am, but they just sort of...shut down." the asari said, not being able to think of a viable reason. Rolana stepped down the short, metal stairs, onto the CIC.

"Someone is causing trouble. Wake up Verres and check it out!" Rolana ordered. She walked back up to her captains chair and glared at the prisoner next to it.

"You better hope your friends stop here, Tara. Because you're dead if they get any farther." Rolana growled. Tara was on her knees with a piece of cloth over her mouth. He hands were behind her back with restriction cuffs on her wrists.

Tara only look at Rolana for a second before moving her gaze. Hardly caring, she sat back in her chair and ignored her silence.

"Rolana, we can't reach Verres. He's not responding." the same asari said.

"Goddess, where can I find some compentent workers." Rolana muttered.

...

"Darin, we saw that explosion from here. I assume that was the array?" Klenon said.

"It has to be. There would be no other reason for him to blow something up on the outside of the ship." Arenia said.

"She makes a good point. Do we move in now?" Rekko asked.

"Yes. Go in, Rekko. Fast and hard." Klenon ordered.

"That's what she said." Rekko whispered.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Darin cut the line and put the pressure suit back in the lockers. Within a few minutes, everyone would be coming in.

He suddenly heard a _ding _come from behind him. He turned around and aimed his pistol at the elevator door. As expected, a turian ran out, assault rifle in hand. Darin fired three rounds, all hitting the turian in the chest.

Darin holstered his gun and ran into the open elevator. Once the doors closed, the ship violently shook. It was under attack.

"Attention, the ship is under attack. Please report to your stations. This is not a drill." a voice said over the intercom.

"Rekko, find us a way to board that ship." Klenon said.

"I think I see an airlock on the side of the ship. I'll try to steer us there."

Darin pressed a button on the elevator panel to make it go back to the bottom deck. The airlock he went through was the only one on the ship, so that means the other would go through there.

The elevator door opened, he was back on the bottom deck. The ship shook again as the Reinava boarded it.

"Alright, Darin, we're coming in. Hold your position until we reach you." Klenon said. The airlock doors strained to open, but as it did. Klenon, Arenia, and Rekko walked in with weapons in hand.

"Wow, that was fast." Rekko said as he saw Darin just standing there.

"We don't have a lot of time. At any moment they could decide to kill Tara. Let's get a move on." Klenon said, heading towards the elevator; Arenia following him.

"Here, Darin. Thought you might need a little more firepower." Rekko said, handing him a shotgun. Darin took it and went after the other two with Rekko behind him.

"Where would they keep Tara?" Klenon asked himself.

"Let's go with the top deck then work our way down." Arenia suggested.

"Let's do that. I just hope we find her fast. We don't know how big of a grudge these people have against her." Klenon said, pressing the top deck.

"Darin how many did you tak out? If at all?" Rekko asked. Darin thought for a moment before just shrugging.

"Great."

The group just stayed silent as the elevator ascended to the top deck. They kept their weapons ready just in case.

The _ding _sounded and the door slowly opened, they were at the end of a small hallway. The group walked cautiously out, slightly anxious from the relative silence.

"You'd think there would be more guards." Klenon said.

"They might be trying to use the elevator to get up here." Rekko speculated. He then bashed the panel with the butt of his gun.

"Not anymore."

Sparks flew from the panel as it struggled to stay active, but it ultimately fell dead.

"It won't stall them for long. They're going to have other means of getting up here." Klenon said.

The group hurried down the small hallway. At the end, to their left and right, were staricases that led up.

"Keep your guard up." Klenon advised. They ascended the stairs and once they reached the top, came face-to-face with ten assault rifles.

"So these are the bastards that came after you." Rolana said, getting up from her chair. She was at Klenon's right, on a short, elevated platform. Tara was next to her, not even looking at the group.

"I have to admit you gave me a little scare, but now that I see how many of you there are, I was a fool to think you idiots can overpower me." Rolana said mischievously.

"Why did you kidnap, Tara?" Arenia demanded.

"My buisness is none of your concern. Keep your nose out of it you quarian whore." Rolana growled. A bullet suddenly whizzed by Rolana's head. It had only missed her by an inch.

She looked around for the source of the bullet. She then noticed Klenon with a smoking rifle.

"You need to shut the hell up." Klenon said.

"Looks like I shouldn't waste any time. Kill them, don't leave any survivors." Rolana ordered. Her soldiers were suddenly thrown backwards. Rolana was surprised to say the least. She didn't see that coming.

"What the fu-"

Rolana was thrown from her seat of command and thrown to the floor. She noticed the blue aura around her. Somebody had biotics.

"You guys know what to do. I'll take care of her." Klenon said, glowing blue. He walked biskly over to the asari and grabbed her by the neck. He dragged her across the floor and and 'threw' her to the wall. She hit it with immense force, leaving a very noticable crack on the wall. When she landed on the wall, Klenon grabbed her by the neck again and slammed her against the wall, making the crack bigger.

All of the soldiers got up and turned their guns at Klenon, only to get shot at from behind by the group. They were torn between helping their captain or not getting shot in the back. They chose the latter.

Klenon dropped Rolana on the ground again and charged his biotic energy in his hands. Rolana stuggled to get to her knees and blood flowed from the back of her head. She pulled herself up just to get blasted by the full force of biotic energy.

She was blasted through the concrete wall into a supply room. Klenon follwed her through the hole that he made. Rolana got up and pulled out her pistol. Klenon slapped it aside and, again, wrapped his hand around her neck.

Klenon pulled his other hand back and a large ball of dark energy formed in his palm.

"There is no fucking way..."

"Why do you have to insist on cursing all the time?" Klenon said, tightening his grip. Rolana charged her own biotic energy in her hand, determined to even the odds.

Klenon grabbed her wrist and twisted it around her neck, putting his hand that was filled with dark energy in front of her face.

"I have to admit, you're not as formidable as I thought." Klenon said calmly. Rolana kicked Klenon from behind, getting free from his grip.

She tried to run to get some distance from each other, but she was suddenly lifted into the air and thrown to the ground, making a sickening crack.

"You're a stubborn one aren't you? Might aswell put you out of you misery. You have no place in the galaxy anyway." Klenon said, walking up to her. He put one hand on her chest and the other on her forehead.

Klenon began to glow blue from the biotics and within a second, Rolana began to scream violently. As the glow intensified, so did her screaming. Blood began to stream from her face and through her clothes. She furiously kicked in the air, trying anything to get away from the pain.

The pain was unbearable. As if someone stabbed her in the forehead with a white-hot rod. Burn marks began to form around Klenon's palms. Her body convulsed in pain...then slowly stopped. He limbs slightly twitching as the last bit of life left her.

Klenon finally moved his palms and saw what his power had caused. The result was nothing short of...atrocious. But then again, so was her attitude towards Arenia.

"Keelah se'lai." Klenon whispered, closing her still-open eyes. Klenon stood up and looked back through the hole behind him. He was just now hearing all of the gunfire in the bridge.

The hole he made was in the middle of the firefight and five of the soldiers were already dead. The last ones had taken cover behind various tables. Klenon ran in and pulled out his pistol, shooting at and killing one of the soldiers.

"Are you done, Klenon?" Rekko shouted over the fire.

"I am now."

Klenon walked back to his team's cover while firing back at the soldiers. He noticed that Tara was still where she was before he fought Rolana. Klenon fired three more rounds, wounding one of the soldiers, he then ran over to Tara and began to release her.

"How about you help us out here, huh?" Klenon said as he took off her restriction cuffs. Once her hands were free, Tara pulled off the cloth from her mouth.

"With pleasure." she said. She got up to her feet and fired a warp at the wounded soldier, killing him.

With four soldiers left, Darin grabbed something from his pocket, it was a charge that he didn't use on the array.

He activated it and the charge began to beep furiously. He threw it over the cover, and as expected, everyone behind the cover began to panic. The charge detonated, annihilating everything in the area.

"Go, Darin." Tara said.

"Good thing you kept that handy." Klenon said.

The group got together to take a moment to breath.

"Now, Tara, would you mind telling us why these guys kidnapped you?" Klenon asked.

"I knew she hated me for doing it, but I didn't know she hated me _that _much." Tara said to herself more than Klenon.

"Who was she?" Klenon asked, crossing his arms.

"That was Rolana, a young thief...and my sister." Tara said.

"Your sister?" Rekko said, shocked.

"We both were thieves, but I gave up that life; she didn't. I told her that it would lead to nothing, but trouble, as evidenced by Darin and I getting imprisoned by the CS. But that was only out of necessity!" Tara justified.

"Then why was she so pissed at you?" Rekko asked.

"When she didn't listen to me, I thought the best thing to do was to turn her in. So I did. Just so that she would learn her lesson. She was arrested and I thought I was done with that." Tara said.

"But it wasn't." Arenia said.

"No, guess she broke out of jail and wanted revenge. Didn't think she would be able to find me." Tara confessed.

"There some bad luck for you." Klenon said.

"Well now that has been settled with, we should get out of here. There's nothing left for us." Rekko said.

"Um...thanks you guys. For rescuing me." Tara said somewhat awkwardly. She looked through the large hole Klenon made and saw the still body of her sister. It brought of feeling of depression to her.

"No problem, Tara. We quarians look out for our own." Klenon said, subtlely getting closer to Arenia.

_Always have, always will._

...

"Klenon, could I talk with you?" Arenia asked while sitting next to him on a couch. They were back on the Reinava's crew quarters.

"Of course you can, drema." Klenon said, putting his arm around her.

"Exactly how much do you trust me?"

Klenon found that question somewhat odd. Why would she need to know how much he trusted her after all they had been through.

"I trust you with my life." Klenon said with a smile. It brought some relief to Arenia, that was good.

_Time to come clean_

"I wanted to tell you something rather important. It involes our race." Arenia said.

"What is it?" Klenon asked. The fact that she had to tell him something that involved their race caught his attention.

"What I'm about to tell you cannot be revealed to anyone. And I have no doubt that it's something everyone in our species wants to know. It's something that's been kept secret for 200 years." Arenia said.

"Okay and why do you need to know that I trust you?" Klenon asked.

"Because I want to know if you'll think I'm doing something for the right reasons." Arenia said.

"Alright, so what is it?"

Arenia stumbled over her words, trying to find a way to best tell him.

"I don't think I can tell you." Areni said. Klenon inwardly sighed, he wanted to know what this secret was.

"So I'll just show you." Arenia said, getting up.

"Where are you going?" Klenon asked.

"To the bridge. C'mon." she said.

...

"Rekko." Arenia said.

"What?"

"I need you to follow these coordinates." Arenia said, handing him an OSD.

"Uhh. Okay." Rekko said, putting the OSD inside the Nav Computer.

"Um. Arenia, are these coordinates right? They're leading us to the edge of the galaxy." Rekko said.

"They're definitely right. Just follow them." Arenia said.

"Whatever." Rekko said, directing the ship towards the coordinates.

"Where are we going, Arenia?" Klenon asked from behind her.

"You'll see." Arenia said, walking back downstairs.

...

Arenia and Klenon sat together on the sofa. Klenon had been constantly asking her where they were going to which she only replied "Wait."

"Klenon, can't you just wait a few hours." Arenia said during their latest talk

"Well you are hanging this over my head so can you blame me?" Klenon said.

"Uh guys. You may want to check this out." Rekko said over the intercom.

"We're here." Arenia said, getting up from the sofa. The two got up to the CIC as fast as they could, both eager to see their new destination. Once they got up to the CIC, Klenon looked through the glass in front of Rekko. What he saw astounded him.

There was an enormous metropolis in a large clearing in a forested area. The buildings were made of stone and reached high into the sky. The city was surrounded by large concrete walls that were forty feet high.

"Arenia, where are we?" Klenon said, almost speechless from the sight. Arenia looked at him and simply said

"The Enclave."

**My greatest creation so far.**

**Yay for the return of the Vemoren. That's what I'm calling that biotic power now. Vemoren.**


	22. Chapter 22

**It's hard to believe we're getting close to the end. Before I know it, I'm going to be writing part 2. I also think I broke my record for longest chapter. This'll be hard to beat for sure.**

**SergiusTheGreat: That's what happens when I try to write all night. Insomnia can be a bastard sometimes.**

**Mapped: You drive a hard bargain. I'll take it with some fries.**

**DanyaelPrince: Your answer is right in this chapter. Have fun.**

Chapter 22: The Enclave

"Arenia...what...is this?" Klenon asked, still taking in the view of the city.

"The Enclave. It's a sort of hidden gem for quarians, but the Migrant Fleet doesn't know it exists, neither does the Admiralty Board" Arenia said.

"You have three seconds to identify yourself before you're shot outta the sky." A voice said on the radio. It sounded quarian, but it wasn't the least bit friendly.

"I'll handle this." Arenia said, reaching for the radio.

"What is this place?" Tara asked, walking up to the three with Darin behind her.

"I don't really know. Arenia was the one who brought us here." Rekko said.

"Trej? Trej'Oiren? This is Arenia'Sare. I'm back." Arenia said.

"Arenia, it's been a while! Didn't think you would be able to come back here on your own ship." Trej said in a much more kinder voice.

"I had a little help." Arenia replied.

"Right...well, the landing pad is yours. I'll meet you there." Trej said, cutting the line.

"Goddess, I'm speechless." Tara said.

"How could someone keep a city this big secret?" Rekko asked.

"I don't really know all the inner workings of the Enclave. Maleko is the one to talk to about that, he's the leader." Arenia said.

"Is this entire city inhabited by quarians?" Klenon asked, noticing quarians going about their day as they neared the landing pad.

"Yes. Like I said, Maleko can explain better than I can." Arenia said.

"Then let's touch down. I'm eager to see this place." Klenon said.

The ship slowed down as it reached the pure white landing pad. It was behind a larger building with red flags draping over the sides. The insignia wasn't one that Klenon recognized, but it definitely was quarian in nature. It was a thick 'O' shape with quarian writing going along the shape. In the middle was an elaborate, tribal-like symbol.

The ship's landing geared opened and it landed perfectly on the pad. The airlock slightly hissed as it adapted to the new enviorment and equalized pressure.

"C'mon, I want to show you guys everything." Arenia said ecstatically. She ran into the airlock and opened the door. Klenon and the others followed her.

"Oh, but um, I might get some heat for bringing non-quarians." Arenia said quietly.

"Ah, don't sweat it, kid. I'm sure I can smooth talk them into letting us stay." Rekko said, stretching his arms.

The airlock door opened and the marvel of the planet awaited them. Warm air rushed inside the airlock. smelled fresh and natural. Arenia stepped off of the ship and took in the sights of the home she had left. It smelled fresh and natural. Arenia stepped off of the ship and took in the sights of the home she had left.

The landing pad was connected to a walkway that led to the stone building. A door suddenly opened in the stone building and three quarians walked out. All of them had camo-colored suit's. The one in the middle had on a gold sash, making Klenon think he was the one in charge.

"Excuse me, but we need verification before you can proceed." The quarian in the gold sash said.

"Verification? Of what?" Klenon asked.

"Verification that you belong here. If you can provide it, we can let you in." he said.

"I got it." Arenia said. She untied her necklace and presented the small blue stone to the quarian. He took it from her hands and scanned it with his omni-tool.

"32% Silver, 33% Diamond, and 35% Balera. Perfect." The quarian said while reading the results. He gave back the stone to Arenia and turned his attention to her companions.

"Ma'am, we cannot allow to have non-quarians in the Enclave. Safety reasons." he said.

"But they're friends. They helped me get back here." Arenia protested.

"Ma'am, despite everything they did for you, we cannot afford to have our prescence known to the galaxy. Even if that me-"

"I can take it from here Arryen." Trej said, walking up from behind the quarians.

"Whatever you say, captain." Arryen said, walking back into the building with the other quarians.

"Arenia, I couldn't believe until I saw it with my own eyes. Welcome back. I assume your mission was a success?" Trej said.

"Umm...no. We lost the data I was supposed to give." Arenia said while wringing her hands.

"I see. Where did you lose it, do you remember? We could send a team to retrieve it." Trej suggested.

"On an uncharted planet, in a geth outpost." Arenia said. She didn't want to say that Klenon was the one who lost it.

"Geth took it from you, eh? Well, we can live without that data anyway." Trej said, sounding a little disappointed.

"So, these are your companions, huh?" Trej said, looking over the other four.

"Yes, this is Klenon, Tara, Darin, and Rekko." Arenia said, introducing the others, but Trej was more interested in the white-suited quarian.

"Tell me, kid. Are you on pilgrimage?" Trej asked.

"No. I completed my pilgrimage three years ago." Klenon said.

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I'm a Migrant Fleet Marine." he said.

"A Migrant Fleet Marine?" Trej said, almost shocked.

"Yes. I was sent to rescue Arenia. She had activated a distress signal an-"

"Distress signal? The one we gave you?" Trej asked Arenia.

"Y-yes, but I knew that the Enclave couldn't afford to send an agent for me, so I called the Migrant Fleet." Arenia said.

"That would seem to be an easier way of giving them information. But if what I learned about the Migrant Fleet is correct, they wouldn't have let you go." Trej said, looking at Klenon.

"I tried to...um...hit Klenon and knock him out cold, but he still came after me." Arenia said, almost embarassed.

"Haha, looks like it didn't work out." Trej laughed.

"No, it didn't." Arenia said quietly, meaning something other than what Trej thought.

"Hmm. If you're a Migrant Fleet Marine, that means...I think Maleko will want to speak to you personally, and give you a tour of the Enclave as is his custom. Your friends can come along too, if they'd like." Trej said.

"It wouldn't hurt." Klenon said.

"Fantastic. Come with me. I'll take you to the administration building and you can wait for Maleko there." Trej said. He motioned his hand for them to follow him and they did, ready to see this city that had stayed elusive for 200 years.

...

Klenon and Arenia sat on a bench next to a door. They were waiting for Maleko to show up. The others were sitting on a bench opposite of them.

The interior of the building was marvelous. It was a circular room with a red carpet and flags with the same insignia hanged from the ceiling. A golden chandelier hanged in the center of the room.

"Your leader really has an interesting taste in interior design." Klenon commented.

"Well, our resources aren't as scarce as the Migrant Fleet." Arenia said. There was a period of silence between them until Klenon spoke.

"Is that why you were so sensitive about your necklace? You needed it to prove that you're a member of the Enclave?" Klenon asked.

"Yes, if I lost it, I would never be able to return to the Enclave." Arenia said, playing with it.

"What was that thing the guard said, Balera? I've never heard of anything like that." he said.

"It's a mineral on this planet. A rock the same color as this stone. It's what it is mostly made of." she said.

"What about that mission you were on? I think I need a little clarification." he said.

"The Enclave found the data. Agents had taken it from geth controlled territory on a planet that was nearby Rannoch." she explained.

"Why were Enclave agents there? For the data?" Klenon asked.

"No, they were scouting geth movements on Rannoch. They were hoping to learn a pattern in the way geth mobilized so they could find out when their defenses would be weakest." Arenia said.

"Was the Enclave going to attempt to regain control of Rannoch?" Klenon asked, the sound of quarians actually trying to get the homeworld back sounded great to him.

"In a way, yes. If the agents were able to find a weakness we would have sent it to the Migrant Fleet. Maybe they would be able to do something with it." Arenia said.

"How would you contact them? You said that the admiralty didn't know this place existed." he said.

"I don't know. I'm not part of that branch of the government." Arenia said.

"Okay, so when they gave you the data. What did they tell you, specifically?" Klenon asked.

"Specifically? They told me to get the data to the admiralty by any means necessary." Arenia said.

"So you contacted the Migrant Fleet with the distress signal you were given in case of emegency. They thought you were still on pilgrimage." Klenon said, putting the pieces together.

"Yes. I...had abandoned the Migrant Fleet. I didn't want to live the rest of my life on a ship that could kill me before I even saw it coming." Arenia said. There was another pause between them. Arenia knew that Klenon would be processing the fact that she abandoned their people. A very selfish thing to do among the quarian people.

"So...you just left." Klenon said quietly.

"...Yes."

Another period of silence, which made Arenia feel uncomfortable.

"So you knew that the Migrant Fleet would send someone for you and what then? You just expected to run?" he asked.

"That was the weakest part of the plan. I had hoped that you would just leave with the data, but you didn't." Arenia said.

"I had a mission. Bring you and the data back, I wasn't going to leave with one without the other. I'm glad I didn't." Klenons said, holding her hand.

"There's only one last thing I want to know." Klenon said.

"Anything."

"How did you find this place?"

"I didn't. They found me." she said.

"How?"

"I was in the Citadel. I lived in the lowest parts in the city. An Enclave agent found me in the horrible state I was in and offered to take me here. I don't know what he was doing there, but I didn't ask." she said.

The door next to them suddenly opened. A tall quarian with an olive-green suit stepped out.

"Ah, you must be Klenon. Arenia, it's been too long." Maleko said in a deep voice. From the sound of it, Klenon guess he was around fifty years old.

"Maleko. It's good to see you again." Arenia said, getting up and hugging him.

"Klenon, this is Maleko'Pren. He sort of like a father-figure to me." Arenia said.

"Good to meet you, Maleko." Klenon said holding out his hand.

"You are a Migrant Fleet Marine, yes? Like Trej told me?" Maleko asked, shaking Klenon's hand.

"Yes I am. Verrunt." Klenon said.

"Which is? I'm sorry, but we use human military terms here. A lot easier to remember." Maleko said.

"Uhh, sergeant I guess." Klenon said with uncertainty. He didn't know a lot about the human military, only the basic stuff that most people knew.

"Ah, you have some experience." Maleko said. His tone was very friendly.

"Yes. Trej said you were going to give us a tour?" Klenon said.

"Of course. It'd be my pleasure." Maleko said.

"Now I think we should begin with the market square. If you are your companions will follow me." he said. Everyone got up and followed Maleko out of the Administration Building.

...

Everyone stepped out into the large plaza that was only a few feet away from the Admin Building. The sun was bright and the skies were clear. Many quarians were chatting and selling their goods. A few children were running around, chasing each other. More than a few of them stared at the asari, turian, and salarian. Almost none of them had ever seen another species.

Some of the shops had flags with the same insignia hanging above them. Others were simple kiosks taht were selling food tubes. There was even a store that looked like it was selling books.

To Klenon, it was like stepping into the past. This was how their ancestors had lived when they were on Rannoch. So peaceful, so happy.

"As you can see, we have our own merchants who sell everything from basic furnishings to military-grade weapons." Maleko said.

"Military-Grade weapons? You give civilians that kind of firepower?" Rekko asked.

"Of course. Every single quarian resident had to undergo military training. Even a feeble old man can wield a deadly assault rifle with ease." Maleko said with pride.

"That seems a little risky, Maleko. Why do it in the first place?" Klenon asked.

"Just in case the improbable happens and we are discovered. I have no doubt that someone will try to plunder our home once they learn of our location. Giving our civilians training will strengthen our numbers in case of attack." Maleko explained.

"That's...odd. Atleast for me." Klenon said.

"I do not know how the Migrant Fleet operates Klenon, for I was born here, but we do what we have to do to survive." Maleko said.

"And if someone decides to use their training for...other purposes?" Klenon asked.

"Hopefully, people can protect themselves. If they can't, then we do everything we can to apprehend the criminal and take them to the prison." Maleko said.

"You have a prison?" Klenon inquired.

"Yes. An institution of hard labor. They contribute to the Enclave by mining minerals and they serve their time."

"Maleko, if I may ask, if this Enclave has been here for 200 years, why haven't you tried to adapt to the enviroment, and who established the Enclave?" Klenon asked with genuine intrest.

"Well, I'll answer the second question first." Maleko said. He paused for a moment to compile his thoughts then looked back at Klenon.

"Do they teach history in the Migrant Fleet, Klenon?" he asked.

"Yes. But only about the Morning War, not much else." Klenon said.

"I see, then you do not know of the mass exile in the early years of the flotilla?" Maleko asked.

"Mass exile? What happened?" Klenon asked.

"Since the flotilla was new, pirates saw it as an easy target. The rampant and brutal attacks forced the Admiralty Board to believe there were quarians betraying them, working with the pirates and sabotaging the security of the Migrant Fleet for credits." Maleko explained. He began to pace in front of them as he continued the story.

"Their paranoia caused them to exile atleast 300 innocent quarians who were either navigators or political figures. Naturally, they were furious, but they couldn't lift a finger against them." Maleko said.

"That's never been discussed. Throughtout the entire time I've been in the fleet, no one has even mentioned a mass exile." Klenon said.

"Exactly. The admiralty wanted to keep it quiet. I assume that these poor souls have been forgotten now. Not by us, though." Maleko said.

"After the exiling was finished, the exiles thought that they should stick together rather than disperse and die off alone. All 300 exiles wandered the galaxy for a few years in what few ships they could find. A sort of mini-flotilla." he continued.

"After a good long time, they discovered this planet on the edge of the galaxy. The discovery was nothing short of miraculous. A dextro-amino world, abundant in mineral resources, and not claimed by any of the council races. As long as we maintain secrecy, we will not be evicted from the planet we have called home for 200 years by infernal politicians who'd rather see us die so they could prosper from unecessary wealth." Maleko said passionately. He took a deep breath and looked back at Klenon.

"The exiles started small here. A small village that mined only a fraction of what we do today. But over time, the population grew." he said.

"By how much?" Tara asked.

"A lot. When the Enclave first started there were only 300. Now, after those long years, the Enclave has increased to 4 million." Maleko said. Everyone was shocked, Klenon the most. All this time he thought only 17 million quarians existed in the galaxy, but there weren't. There was 21 million.

"That doesn't seem possible. How can a population just grow like that?" Rekko asked.

"The growth wasn't from simple reproduction. There were more factors." Maleko said, looking out to the quarians who were going about their day.

"Like?" Klenon asked.

"The first factor is reproduction. The second is quarians who are exiled. The third, quarians who abandoned the Migrant Fleet. I'm sure you already know Arenia goes into factor number three." Maleko clarified

"Many quarians leave the flotilla, most are abandoning it. I've gotten a statistic that says that fourteen out of sixteen quarians that leave the flotilla are abandoning it." Maleko said.

"How do you find exiled quarians? It can't just be blind luck." Klenon said, changing the subject to factor number two.

"It's not. We have Enclave agents in the Migrant Fleet. They're record keepers on the outside, but on the inside, their allegiance is to the Enclave. Once a quarian is exiled, the notice is sent by the admiralty to the record keepers. They, in turn, send that info to us and we send an agent to find the exile. Basically, the admiralty is giving us quarians and they don't know it." Maleko said.

"Clever." Rekko commented.

"Klenon, to answer your first question, we haven't tried to adapt to this place because we are not entirely sure what the air is made of. Despite what our scientists say, I'm not risking our lives to take off our suits unless I give the all clear, but I'm not sure when I'll ever get around to that." he said. Everyone just nodded.

"Now we should continue on with the tour." Maleko said, moving on. The rest followed exiting the market square.

"Maleko, why would you not tell the Migrant Fleet of this place's existence? Don't you think they deserve to know?" Klenon asked, walking up next to him.

"It's simple. Believe me when I say that we have no animosity towards the flotilla anymore, but think of it this way, would you really believe that the quarians in the Migrant Fleet will continue to live in a fleet of ships when they know there is a planet under quarian control?" Maleko asked rhetorically.

Klenon would say something but he knew he was right. If the fleet knew of the Enclave's existence they would all come here and try to settle, just wanting to get off the ships they've been living on all their lives.

"If the entire fleet came in, they would disrupt the delicate balance we have here. One mistake right now and the Enclave could very well be destroyed. Imagine 17 million quarians coming here at once." Maleko said.

"So you just leave the fleet alone? You don't try to help it in any way?" Klenon asked.

"Absolutely not. Even though we have no contact with the fleet and they don't know we exist, we still help them in our own way." Maleko replied.

"Which is?" Klenon asked.

"Hmm. Klenon, you do know how fleet acquires ships, yes?" Maleko asked.

"They either buy them or find them." Klenon answered.

"Don't you think it's more than a little lucky that the fleet finds ships in the depths of space?" Maleko asked.

"I guess...but I never really questioned it." Klenon replied.

"Here's what happens. Occasionally, we buy our own ships, and when we don't need them anymore, we consult with the agents in the fleet on where it is heading. Once we have the route they are going on, we leave the uneeded ship in their path so they can't miss it." Maleko said.

"On occasion we would also send supplies or weapons to help them. They never know where it's coming from though." he said.

"This is a lot to take in." Klenon said.

"That's what usually happens with newcomers. Don't worry, everything will sink in with time." Maleko assured.

The group continued as Maleko pointed out various points of intrest. There were some statues of quarians and there was a mural on a church wall that depicted the morning war. Some of the quarian in the painting were running into ships while other were fighting and dying in the middle. On the far right were the geth, firing their weapons at the helpless mob.

"Maleko, how do you get income? Your city can't live on just the money it already has. Don't you have another means of acquiring money?" Tara asked.

"Yes. Our research building develops it's own line of weapons, mods, and biotic amps. We then sell them via the black market. It's not a clean buisness, but we do what we can." Maleko said, with a slight shame of dealing with the black market.

Maleko's mention of biotic amps reminded Klenon that his powers were temporarily gone due to the power which he named Vemoren. He tried to form dark energy in his palm, but his attempt failed.

"Can we see this research facility?" Rekko asked.

"Of course. You are going to see some things that are rather extrodinary." Maleko said, changing direction.

...

"Here it is." Maleko said, standing in front of a huge building with a large shining sphere on top of it.

Maleko pulled out a card from his pockets and swiped it on a panel next to the locked door. It beeped and the door unlocked. He pushed open the door and they were met by a floating green ball.

"Administrator Pren! It is nice to see you!" the green ball exclaimed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is my VI assistant." Maleko said.

"This system is programmed to respond to the name, Lea." it said.

"Isn't this a combat drone?" Tara asked.

"No. The appearance may be the same but it's purpose is entirely different from the combat drones." Maleko said.

"I assist with logistics and economic jobs for the Enclave." Lea said.

"She has become an invaluable asset for me. I am thinking of giving her a few more modifications to do more complex tasks, but I hardly have the time. he said. He walked into the building, Lea following him. The others walked inside the small room which had an elevator at the far end.

The group piled into an elevator and Maleko pressed the lowest floor. After a few seconds, the door opened, revealing several quarians typing into terminals. Windows were lined along the walls, showing various experiments going on.

"If you look to your left, you can see various experiments with armor that can be oworn above the suit and protective shielding for the visor." Lea said. In the window was armor being shot at by a mounted assault rifle.

"Over here is an experimental dark energy core that will be used on our ships." Lea said, floating over to the window.

"Isn't that dangerous, Maleko? An eezo engine is one thing, but a dark energy core sounds like it can have dire consequences." Klenon said.

"This is only an experiment. The theory is that pure dark energy can last longer and be more durable than eezo can. But as I said, it's only an experiment." Maleko said, moving on.

"Speaking of power, how do you keep the Enclave powered?" Rekko asked.

"We power them like any other city, but ours in different in one way. The power any city makes can be detected by any ship. To ensure that doesn't happen here, we put heat sinks inside every building." Maleko said.

"In buildings? That's never been done before." Tara said.

"I know. We are probably the first to try it. But we have to be careful. The heat sinks can only abosrb so much energy. If we don't cool them off, quarians will be baked in their own homes." he said.

"We have ships, small ones, patrolling around the planet. Once they say that the system is clear, the city releases all of the heat and that _would_ alert every single ship that would be here and we would be discovered, so it is imperative that we perfectly sync the all clear with the cooling of the heat sinks." he finished. He then moved on the last window observing what was inside.

The next window had an assortment of pitch-black weapons on a table. Above them, each of the weapon's mass accelerators were being tested. Each fired a bullet at a lightning-fast pace. The target, which was a wooden cut-out of a geth, had massive holes where the bullet hit.

"We're hoping that theses weapons can turn the tide of battle, but since we are bulding them to be quite powerful, we are not going to sell them. They have been dubbed 'Disciple'. Sort of relating to how the Enclave is a disciple of the Migrant Fleet." Maleko said.

"And the last window displays some biotic amps to be used in the future." Lea said hovering next to the window. Inside was a series of black amps in a glass case.

"These are also experimental. Amps are very difficult to produce and even more difficult to get in working order. We have never had a biotic among us, but we are going to keep these around nevertheless." Maleko said.

The tour continued on for a few hours. The group saw prototype ships and weapons. There was even an attempt at laser weapons, but it was still in its infancy. Probablythe most troubling test to Klenon was the attempt to creath robots for military purposes. Despite the tension from that, he said nothing about it.

The group stepped back outside after the tour, the sun was already setting.

"Now that the tour of the Enclave is over, I need to speak with each of you. Klenon, I'll talk to you first." Maleko said. His tone was serious. He motioned for Klenon to follow him to the side of the building and away from sight.

"Seeing as you are a marine, you are devoted to the fleet, correct?" Maleko asked.

"Yes." Klenon replied.

"I'm going to give you a choice. Seeing as you have combat training and you are a quarian, I'm am offering you a chance to join us." Maleko offered.

"Join you?"

"Yes, but be warned, joining us means abandoning the fleet, and you will be pronounced M.I.A or K.I.A in that mission you're on. Don't ask how I know. You will have to leave behind your old life and cut off connections with everyone from the fleet." Maleko said. Klenon looked around, this is what the quarians dreamt about. A homeplanet, but if he left the fleet, he would be looking for his own happiness above everyone elses.

"Or you can go back to the fleet, live the rest of your life there, but you will not utter a word to anyone about the Enclave. I'm sorry to be so hostile about this, but if you do, you will be dealt with harshly." Maleko said in a stern tone.

"I...uh. I don't know what to say. That kind of offer is...I can't make that-" Klenon stuttered. He couldn't think of an answer.

"If you need time, we have a living space that is vacant. You can take it so you can have more time to think, but I need an answer within three days." Maleko said, being empathetic about Klenon's feelings.

"I guess I'll take that. Thanks." Klenon said.

"It's no trouble." Maleko said. They walked back to the group and Maleko began to talk to the Tara, Darin, and Rekko. Klenon leaned against the building and began to think.

_On one hand I get to live on a planet and with Arenia if she stays, but on the other hand, I'm abandoning the place that I've called home for all my life. The fleet gave me everything I have and is this how I'll repay them?_

Klenon spent a while thinking about Maleko's offer until someone walked up to him.

"Hey, we're leaving tommorrow just so you know." Tara said.

"You are?" Klenon said in surprise.

"Yeah. Darin and I agreed that we can't stay here. We have other things to do." Tara said sadly.

"He gave you the same offer?" Klenon asked.

"Yeah. Nice guy, but we can't stay." Tara said.

"Oh." Klenon said quietly. He had to admit, it was nice traveling with them.

"I don't know what Rekko is going to do. You should ask him." Tara said. She walked away to catch up to Darin, who was already leaving. Klenon saw Rekko looking at the setting sun. It was obvious that he was thinking too. He walked up behind him and also noticed that Maleko and Arenia were gone.

"Hey." Klenon said quietly.

"This day just turned weird." Rekko said.

"I know. This morning I thought the Migrant Fleet was alone. Now I know that there's more of us; it's just weird." Klenon replied. There was a silence between them until Rekko spoke.

"What are you going to do?" he asked, turning to him.

"I don't know. This choice is going to affect the rest of my life. I can't take it lightly. What about you?" Klenon asked. After he finished his sentence, a pair of female quarians walked in between them, giggling. Rekko watched them go and chuckled.

"I think I have to stay. Need to teach some of these ladies about turians." he said.

"Nice to know you made up your mind that easily." Klenon laughed.

"Hey, my wife cheated on me. I'm back on the market." Rekko shot back.

"Right, well. I still need to think. Maleko gave me a place to stay while I do." Klenon said.

"I'm not really sure where I'm going to stay. He never told me." Rekko said.

"I can assist the both of you with that." Lea said, floating towards them.

"You can?" Rekko said.

"Yes. If you both will follow me, I'll take you to your living spaces." Lea said, floating away.

"Well, lets go." Klenon sighed. He was going to have to think the entire night about this.

...

Klenon was laying on his sofa. His living space was larger than the one he had on the flotilla. It had a bedroom, sanitation room and the living room. There was only a counter for a kitchen next to the door which was used to prepare tubes. A small box next to it had the food.

The sofa he was lying on in front of the counter; a few feet away. The bedroom door was on the left side of the room while the sanitation room was on the right. There wasn't much furnishings besides the bed, sofa, and a terminal across from Klenon.

Rekko's living space was only a few doors down. They were both living in a sort of apartment complex.

Klenon had only been here for a couple of hours, but he used every single minute thinking about the offer. He couldn't make up his mind, no matter how he put it. He sighed then sat up. At this rate, he wasn't going to be able to give Maleko an answer in three days.

There was a knock on his door. He didn't know who would be here for him, but he had an idea. He headed towards it and opened the door. Standing there with her hands together was Arenia.

"Hey." she said awkwardly.

"Hey." Klenon replied.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

"Of course." Klenon said, opening the door wider. Arenia walked in and observed the room around her.

"This is nice." she said.

"It is an improvement." Klenon said, sitting on the sofa. Arenia sat next to him and said "Have you made a decision?"

"No." Klenon replied.

"I understand. This can be a hard choice." Arenia said.

"I don't think I can make a choice anytime soon." Klenon said.

"Let me help you." Arenia offered.

"How?"

"What do you want most?" she asked. Klenon paused for a moment the answered.

"To have some peace. A break and, if possible, with you." he said sincerely.

"Then I think you have an answer." she said.

"You're not going back to the fleet, are you?" he said.

"No. I have a duty here and I made an oath to stay." she said.

"I just don't know. I'll never see my squad, my family, or my friends again. I owe the fleet so much. They gave me my training, my amp, and they gave me extra rations just to keep going." he said.

"I know, Klenon." Arenia said, scooting closer to him.

"I just don't know if I can sacrifice it all for my own happiness." he said, leaning back. Arenia rested her head on his shoulder.

"I went through the same thing you did, but trust me, Klenon, you'll be glad you made this choice." she said.

"I do trust you." Klenon whispered.

"What?"

"I trust you." he said louder.

"I trust you too." she said. Klenon pulled Arenia ontop of him as he fell down on the sofa.

"Well, we have time to give Maleko an answer. What do you want to do?" he asked. Arenia laid her head on his chest and sighed.

"I don't know." she said. Neither of them said anything for a while, just enjoying each other's prescence.

"There is one thing." Klenon said.

"What?"

"I trust you and you trust me. I think it's clear about what we should do." he said with a grin. Arenia caught on and giggled.

"Well this'll be nice." Arenia said seductively. They held each other tightly and began cuddling as they began to link their suit enviroments.

...

Maleko was sitting at his desk in his office, attending to his daily duties. He had to make sure everything in the Enclave was going smoothly. His door suddenly opened and a sick Klenon walked in.

Klenon took the time to look around his office. There was a large window behind Maleko that had a glowing pillar inside it. Klenon didn't know what it was for but he wasn't going to ask.

There was the same red carpet and there were a few lavish chairs lined up next to the door. Maleko's desk was above two steps of stairs and the desk itself looked new and expensive.

"Ah, Klenon. Nice to see you again. I assume you've made a decision." he said. Klenon walked up to his desk and put his hands on the table.

"Yes." he said. He looked around one more time before sharply saying

"I'm in."

**I had to spend my entire morning and afternoon on this, including a few more hours to put finishing touches. Now for some reason, my back hurts and I should lie down. Ferret out.**


	23. Chapter 23

**So begins the life of an Enclave resident. How delicious. Does anyone know what that even means?**

**Cutlass-Cougar: I did too. That's one of the things that led me to create the Enclave.**

**SergiusTheGreat: Can you just imagine how Tali would react? And it's nice to see I've made an impression with the Enclave. I worked hard to make every angle make sense**

**Mapped: Glad to see that you're up and running again. If you ever need help, you can ask me for advice. I'll help you as best I can.**

**Czerynon: I had hoped that no one saw it coming. And by my count I have about 4 or 5 more aces in the hole. I love making plot twists. :)**

Chapter 23: Life Anew

"Excellent. Your skills will be highly valued in the Enclave, I assure you." Maleko said, getting something from his shelf. He pulled out a necklace from his desk with the same blue stone as Arenia's.

"Here. Wear it proudly." he said, passing it to Klenon. He took it then quietly coughed.

"I see you're sick. Don't worry about any duties today, but tomorrow I need you to report to Trej'Oiren at the Enclave walls. You're on patrol." Maleko said.

"When do I show up?" Klenon asked as he put the stone in his pocket.

"10 a.m." Maleko answered.

"Then I guess I should get some rest while I can." Klenon said.

"Don't worry, hardly anything happens here. Rest really isn't needed because of it." Maleko chuckled.

"Maleko, thanks for the offer. I think I'm going to be okay here." Klenon said with a hint of uncertainty.

"Trust me, kid, you may get a little homesick but eventually you'll adapt." Maleko said.

_Seems to be the only thing we do now._

"Now, I have duties to attend to and you have to get some rest. I do hope your day goes well, Klenon." Maleko said. He picked up a datapad and began reading it. Klenon took the stone out of his pocket and looked it over. It shined brilliantly in the light, almost as if was glowing.

_My old life is over. Dropping everything in that life isn't going to be easy, but that's never stopped me before._

He put the stone back into his pocket and walked out of the room. He was going back home and back to that certain someone.

...

Klenon opened the door quietly. There wasn't a sound in the house. That meant that Arenia was either gone or still asleep. He quietly stepped inside and shut the door. He quickly headed towards the bedroom door and opened it.

Inside, Arenia was still sleeping, as evidenced by her light snoring. Klenon quietly chuckled. He found her snoring adorable.

He went inside and closed the door. Carefully walking, Klenon sat down on the bed and took out the stone again. Looking it over one last time, he put it on his nightstand and laid down. There were no sheets to cover them since quarians could regulate their temperature in their suits, but he didn't mind.

He laid on his side and draped an arm over Arenia's waist, who was also on her side. Klenon felt a smile creep on his face. For the first time in a long time, he felt relaxed, at peace. He had forgotton what that feeling felt like.

"How things have changed." he whispered. He scooted closer to Arenia, to where their visors were touching, and closed his eyes. He sighed then tried to get some sleep.

"Yes they have."

Klenon opened his eyes and saw Arenia staring back at him.

"You're a light sleeper aren't you." Klenon said softly.

"It's handy sometimes." she said back, quietly coughing afterwards.

"I'm sorry for getting you sick, drema." Klenon said, while stroking the side of her helmet.

"I don't regret a single minute of it. Linking our enviroments was worth it." Arenia said alluringly. She buried her head under his helmet and coughed again.

"I told Maleko that I'm in. I'm supposed to report the Trej tomorrow at the wall. Any idea on where I should go?" he asked in a gentle tone. Arenia looked up to him and replied.

"I've had to go there once. You have to go the the south of the Enclave. There'll be some stairs and at the top is a guard station, Trej will be there."

"Alright. I got the whole day off and nothing to do." Klenon said.

"Maybe you should visit Rekko, you haven't talked to him since he went to his own house." Arenia said.

"I will, in a few minutes. Also, Tara and Darin are leaving today." Klenon said.

"They are?"

"Yeah, said that they have other stuff to do." Klenon said, lightly squeezing her.

"That's a shame. I really like those two." she said.

"Yeah, they get to you."

The spent the next hour in almost total silence; often whispering to each other about one thing or another. Eventually, Klenon reluctantly got out of bed to see how Rekko was doing.

He walked out the door and closed it behind him. Walking two doors down, he arrived at Rekko's door. Knocking twice, he could hear footsteps coming towards the door. It opened and to Klenon's surprise, a female Quarian was there in a pink suit was there.

"Uhh, is this Rekko's home?" Klenon said, perplexed.

"Yeah. Hey, Rekko, it's for you." the quarian said in a upbeat tone. Rekko soon came up behind her, stroking her 'chin' before turning his attention to Klenon. The pink quarian disappeared behind the door.

"You weren't kidding, were you?" Klenon asked.

"Nope. Like I said, I can smooth-talk like nobody's buisness." Rekko said with pride.

"Really didn't see that coming." Klenon admitted.

"Well, when got nothing else to do, might aswell do something you're good at." he replied.

"How have things worked out for you? Besides the wooing you just did in a few hours." Klenon laughed.

"Good. I haven't been given anything to do so I've been... relaxing for most of the time." Rekko said.

"Relaxing...right. You know when Tara and Darin are leaving?" he asked.

"They messaged me a few minutes ago. They said they were leaving in about thirty-minutes. Think we should head over to the Reinava now?" Rekko asked.

"Might aswell."

"Rena, I need to go to the landing pad. Be back in a bit." Rekko said.

"No problem. Just get back soon!" she said in the same in the same upbeat tone. Rekko stepped outside and closed the door.

"So, how'd you find her." Klenon said as he started to walk.

"After spending about five minutes in my apartment, I decided to have a taste of the local customs." Rekko said.

"And by customs, you mean women." Klenon said.

"No, I mean that I went to the market square to check out some decor. I met that little flower in the furniture store."

"Why was she there?"

"She's the manager's daughter." Rekko said casually.

"And that isn't going to be a problem?"

"Not unless her father finds out. Some quarians are actually rascist against turians if you can believe it. Don't know if he is, but I figure it's best not knowing." he said.

"You took a chance with her." Klenon said.

"I perfer to think of it as a beneficial relationship." Rekko said.

"Beneficial relationship?"

"I don't have to be alone and she gets a place to stay."

"Sounds dangerous." Klenon sighed, coughing afterwards.

"From the sound of you, I'd say you were the one being dangerous." Rekko said, turning the tables.

"I may have done something to get me sick." Klenon confessed.

"Only two ways a quarian can get sick, he got a puncture or he took off the visor. What does her face look like?" Rekko said bluntly.

"What? No, I... I didn't see her face. Neither of us took our visors off, we just linked our enviroments." Klenon said.

"Riiight. Whatever you say." Rekko said. It was obvious that he didn't believe him.

"Let's drop that particular subject. Besides, we'll see who's laughing when you're being chased by an angry father with a shotgun." Klenon said.

"I'm sure my eloquence can quickly diffuse that situation." Rekko chuckled.

"You're cocky, you know that?"

"Maybe, but atleast I have confidence that I can actually do something." Rekko said, putting his hands behind his head.

"Let's just get to the landing pad." Klenon said, putting a hand on his visor.

"Whatever you say, Klenon."

...

"There you guys are. I was afraid you had forgotten about us." Tara said.

"We would've gotten here sooner if Rekko hadn't taken to trying to hit on every girl he saw to prove a point." Klenon said, walking up to the landing pad.

"Gotta do what I have to." Rekko said. Everyone gathered in a circle but stayed silent. They had stuck together since they broke out of the CS base and now they had to part ways.

"It's been fun." Tara said.

"Barely." Rekko muttered, earning an elbow from Klenon.

"Anyways, I'm gonna miss you guys." Tara said.

"We've been through a lot together. Hope everything goes better for you guys than when we stuck around." Klenon said with a forced laugh.

"Maybe, but it won't be as fun." Tara said with a small smile.

"Stay safe out there." Klenon muttered.

"You too." Tara said.

"Good luck out here, you two. Try not to get in too much trouble."

Klenon and Rekko were both a little confused but Tara just chuckled.

"Look who decided to talk for once." Tara said, looking at Darin, who just smiled.

"You too, Darin." Klenon replied. Darin just nodded.

"I really do hope the best for both of you. You've done enough to earn a break or two." Darin said.

"So...um...bye." Tara said. She didn't want to leave, but she thought that it was for the best. She slowly walked backwards into the Reinava, still facing Klenon and Rekko. Darin walked towards the airlock and gave one final wave before entering. Tara stepped onto the ship but didn't close the door. Instead she stood there, taking a good look at the two one more time before closing the airlock door.

After a few seconds, the Reinava lifted into the air and slowly ascended upwards. Once it ascended high enough, the ship flew off out of sight.

"That's it. It's over now." Rekko said.

"Now it's the beginning of something new." Klenon said.

"Can't believe this is over now. We're back to living our lives, even if we're somewhere unfamiliar." Rekko said looking at the ground.

"It did seem like we would have each other's back for a very long time, but maybe it's for the best." Klenon said. The two of them just stood there, thinking about everything that had happened in the past.

"We should probably get back to our apartments. I bet Rena is wondering where you are." Klenon said after awhile.

"And you left a sick Arenia by herself. Tsk,tsk, Klenon. That's not like a gentlemen." Rekko teased.

"Says the guy who flirted with six girls before we got here. What'd you think Rena would say about that?" Klenon said as he walked away from the landing pad.

"She probably wouldn't say anything, but he father might." Rekko said.

"Well then you better hurry back. Take my advice, you do not want to make a female quarian angry." Klenon said.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Rekko said, remembering the phrase from a strip bar on the Citadel.

"It's true isn't it?" Klenon said.

"One way or another, you will witness it sometime in your life. I can guarantee it."

...

Living in the Enclave became a daily thing. A week had passed since Tara's and Darin's departure. Klenon had actively served on the Enclave's security, mostly just patrolling the wall. At the end of his shift he would always go back to his home and spend the rest of the night with Arenia.

When he started working in the security, he was able to completely fix his suit and wash off all of the dried blood on it. Once that was done, it looked as good as new.

When Klenon's biotics came back, he decided not to show them to anyone, for fear of the being ostracized by others. The same thing had happened on multiple occasions on the fleet.

He often felt homesick. The thought of never seeing the fleet again brought him a great deal of melancholy. But as Maleko said, he eventually go over it. He still often thought of his squad and how they would handle the inevitable K.I.A he would get from months without contact. They had already lost Nolel and now they would lose him, he hoped he wouldn't regret deserting them.

"Very quiet today." Klenon said as he leaned against the railings on top of the wall and observed the wilderness outside of the Enclave. He was on his regular shift of guarding the it with Trej.

"It's always quiet out here. Nobody ever finds this place, but we need to be prepared regardless." Trej said, leaning on the railing next to him.

"So, how'd you end up in the Enclave, Trej?" Klenon asked, realizing that he never asked.

"I was born and raised here. My father was a miner and my mother stayed home. Once I underwent military training like all teenagers do, the trainers found that I was very skilled with a gun. After a few discussions, the trianers put into a starter's group for the Enclave Security Force." Trej said.

"That must have been fun." Klenon said, still staring out into the wilderness.

"After a few years, I joined and rose through the ranks. Eventually, I was promoted to captain of the guard, but I still like to do the grunt work, no offense." Trej said.

"None taken."

They spent the next few minutes just standing there, either making small talk or staying silent.

Suddenly, Klenon heard a loud creaking noise, as if a heavy, rusty door was opening. He turned his head toward the source and saw that five Quarians were leaving the Enclave through the main gate.

"Where are they going?" Klenon said, watching them leave.

"They're prospectors. They go out into the wilderness and look for more mining opportunities." Trej said, watching them go aswell.

"Is it safe out there?" Klenon asked.

"Honestly, no, not really. A lot of Quarians disappear out there and we don't know why." Trej said.

"It can't be safe for them then. Don't you think they should have an escort?" Klenon asked.

"We can't afford to weaken our guards here. They signed on to that job knowing the risks." Tej said.

"With the right amount of supervision, they wouldn't need to worry about any risks. I'm going to follow them." Klenon said.

"Don't be ridiculous. We can't afford to have you going out there." Trej said.

"You guys were handiling things pretty well before I came along." Klenon said, climbing over the railing.

"Klenon, don't be stupid. You're not supposed to go out there." Trej snapped.

"I'll be back before you know it." Klenon said, jumping off the forty-foot wall. He didn't wait to hear Trej's response. He landed on the soft dirt below him without a word and headed in the general direction of the prospectors. He pulled out his sniper and surveyed the area around him, trying to hear any voice or noise that could lead him to them.

There was a sort of fog that was above the ground, giving Klenon some bad vibes. Despite it, he continued wandering around the dense forest. He heard a noise and quickly turned and aimed his rifle. There was nothing.

"I starting to not like this." Klenon muttered to himself. He turned back around but he had no idea where he was heading before he heard the noise.

_Oh, great._

Taking a random guess, Klenon headed to his left. Hoping that it would lead him to a trail or something to guide him.

_This wasn't such a good idea after all._

Even though wandering in the forest was borderline-stupid, he knew that the prospectors needed any kind of protection available.

Determined, he moved at a faster pace, cutting through foliage and vines. Suddenly he heard a noise again. It sounded like a buzzing noise. Klenon aimed aroun him again, he knew something was there with him.

He put away his sniper and took out his assualt rifle. If any kind of creature was going to attack him, it wasn't going to catch him off-guard. He continually rotated around, watching every side around him.

The buzzing sound was back and it sounded very close. Klenon was about to turn around again until he felt a sharp sting on his shoulder. Trying to ignore the pain and acting quickly, Klenon grabbed whatever was on his shoulder and ripped it off.

What he saw in his palm was unexpected. It was a large insect that began to cry loudly as it tried to squirm out of his grip. Klenon closed his hand and crushed the insect, spilling pale-yellow liquid on his glove.

_Stupid bug._

Klenon was about to move on but something was wrong, he couldn't move. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't budge an inch.

_What the hell is going on?_

He realized he was in some kind of stasis, but how? Insects don't have that kind of power, do they? He tried again to move, but it was in vain.

He heard footsteps behind him and they were growing louder. Klenon suddenly felt hands on him and they began to drag him away, but he couldn't see who it was.

_This can't be happening. This can't be happening._

He then saw something come up in front of him. It was a bipedal bug with four eyes and...it looked like it was on fire.

_What the hell is that?_

More of the same insects appeared around him. Some were going off in different directions and others stayed.

"Prepare the quarian for ascension." The bug in front of him said, despite having a mouth. Klenon suddenly felt nauseous and his vision blurred. Eventually, he slipped out of consciousness.

...

Klenon opened his eyes, but he couldn't see anything. All he saw was a yellow glint in front of him. Fortunatly, he was able to move again.

_Where the hell am I?_

Klenon reached for the yellow glint but his hand hit something. It felt like glass. If it felt like glass, he could break it. First, however, he focused some biotic energy in his hand so that it lit up. Now with some light, he looked around and realized he was in a pod.

_What do these bugs want with me?_

Deciding not to waste any time, he reeled his arm back and fired a powerful biotic blast through the glass, shattering it. A bug was launched back from the blast into the wall. He climbed out of the pod and finished off the injured bug with a warp.

He was in a small room with four other pods, but they were empty. There was a table with his weapons and a datapad.

He walked over and picked up the datapad. Reading it over, he felt a sudden pit in his stomach when he realized what it was about.

_Collectors,_

_I have thought extensively about your offer and the benefits you offer, and I agree to your terms and conditions. From here on out, any quarian you catch wandering outside of the Enclave walls is yours to do with whatever you wish. I do hope that this turns into a beneficial deal for both of us._

_Sincerely,  
Administrator Maleko'Pren_

"Keelah." Klenon muttered. The leader of the Enclave was selling them for some kind of profit. Since he was their leader, he would have a great deal of power and no one would question the person who's kept them alive. It was a perfect cover-up, and everyone was at risk, even Arenia.

With that thought, Klenon quickly grabbed his guns and the datapad and headed out the door, wanting to get back to Arenia as soon as possible, and he needed to show everyone at the Enclave about Maleko's betrayal.

He charged out of the room out into another one with two bugs that were apparently called Collectors.

He quickly shot one then biotically threw the other one into a wall, splattering pale-yellow blood all over the water. Looking around the room, he saw more pods. He peered inside and saw another Quarian that looked like he was awake. He broke the glass and pulled him out.

"Hey, you alright? Can you hear me?" Klenon asked as he set the Quarian on the floor and kneeled next to him.

"I see the light. I understand what it wants me to do." the Quarian said.

"The light? What are you talking about?" Klenon demanded.

"It's calling me. I can hear it in my head. Like a thousand whispers." the Quarian murmered.

"What the hell is going on?" Klenon asked himself. He stood up and stepped back a few feet.

"You will see their light. You will understand." the Quarian said to him. Klenon just looked and him with a confused look on his face. He decided to leave the Quarian. He was probably insane and violent. Klenon opened a door behind him and stepped out.

He was outside and what he saw was beyond overwhelming. There were mass graves a few feet from him with bodies of dead Quarians inside. Seeing the sight made him feel sick to his stomach. These bastards were killing his people.

A shot whizzed by him and he immediatly shot the source, a collector ontop of a small building. More of them began to pour out of other buildings, shooting at him. Klenon brought up his barrier and hid behind a nearby pod. He popped up and fired one bullet at a time, killing most of his targets.

He picked up the pod biotically and threw it at a nearby group of Collectors, crushing all of them to death. More of them kept coming. There were probably too many of them for him to kill. He had to run. Now.

Klenon was about to burst into a full sprint until he was hit from behind by something. His barrier absorbed the damage but it wasn't a bullet.

"Take the Quarian alive if possible."

Klenon turned around and saw the collector that was on fire. It charged up another attack and fired. Klenon dodged it the fired his own warp, hitting it's mark.

"Resistance is futile." it said as it fired another attack, but it was moving slowly. Klenon took the chance and ran off, looking at the mass graves one more time before he did. He ran through the thick trees and didn't look back, though he could swear that some were following him.

He kept running even though he had no idea where he was going. But anywhere was better than there. Much to his relief, he could barely hear the footsteps of the Collectors. They were losing him.

He began to feel tired, but he couldn't slow down for even a second. He jumped down a small hill and rolled when he landed. Once he stopped rolling, he stayed on the ground and began to breathe heavily.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, he noticed that nothing was following him anymore.

"Thank Keelah." he muttered. He got to his feet and kept running but at a slower pace.

He wandered around for what felt like hours. He began to lose hope that he would never be able to see civilization again.

After wandering around for about an hour, he noticed a large and imposing wall. It was the Enclave's wall. With renewed vigor, he began to actively search for the main gates. Luckily, he found the large red doors within a few minutes.

He pushed as hard as he could as the doors slowly opened, making the same loud creaking noise. Once the door was opened sufficiently, Klenon ran inside.

He put his hands on his knees and breathed a sigh of relief. He was very grateful to have returned to the Enclave.

The feeling was short lived. He suddenly heard a gun being cocked. He hesistantly looked up, as if he would be shot if he even moved. He then saw who had the gun.

About ten Enclave security officers had their guns aimed at him, and it didn't look like a joke.

"Whoa, what's going on? I'm with the Enclave!" Klenon exclaimed as he pulled out the stone from his pocket.

"No, you're not."

Trej walked out from behind the officers and crossed his arms.

"Look, Trej, if this is about me disobeying your orders, then I'm sorry, but you need to see something!" Klenon said.

"I won't listen to you anymore." Trej said.

"You are under arrest for the murder of five prospectors."

Maleko walked up from behind the guards and next to Trej.

"Maleko, you manipulating bosh'tet!" Klenon shouted. He took a step only to be shot at by one of the guards. He quickly took a step back and didn't try to advance again.

"It's obvious that you killed them. Trej here told me that you ran after them." Maleko said.

"That's a lie! I didn't kill them, I wanted to protect them!" Klenon defended.

"You are a traitor to the Enclave! We took you in and this is how you repay us." Maleko said. Klenon knew that he was lying through his teeth.

"You are the traitor, Maleko. I know everything!" Klenon shouted.

"Don't try to frame the administrator, Klenon! It's over now. You lost." Trej said.

"Hard to believe that a Migrant Fleet Marine is a cold-blooded killer, but I suppose that how the fleet is anyways." Maleko said. Klenon couldn't believe what was happening. It didn't seem real. Things couldn't get any worse than this.

"What's going on here?"

Klenon looked to his left and saw someone he didn't want to see now.

"Klenon? What's going on?" Arenia said, walking up next to him.

"Step away from him, Arenia. He's a murderer." Maleko said.

"What? What are you talking about?" Arenia said, shocked.

"I saw him murder five Quarians with my own eyes. He left his post and I ran after him. I saw him kill all of them without any mercy." Trej said. Arenia looked at Klenon, hoping that it wasn't true.

"Arenia, I didn't kill anyone. They're lying to you." Klenon said.

"It's obvious that Klenon is trying to manipulate you. If he didn't kill the Quarians, then who did?" Maleko asked. Arenia looked at him and slowly walk away from him.

"No, Arenia, please..." Klenon pleaded.

"I..I can't believe you. I trusted you." Arenia choked. She was on the verge of tears.

"Please, Arenia. Don't listen to them." Klenon begged. Arenia stopped next to Maleko and began to sob, putting her hands on her visor.

"I-I trusted you, Klenon. How could you do something like this?" she cried.

"I didn't do it. It was Maleko. He-"

"Just stop talking! I can't believe that I-I...that I l-loved you." she sobbed. Her words tore Klenon apart.

"He played with your feelings, Arenia. He wanted you to believe him when something like this happened. he wanted you to turn your back on the Enclave." Maleko said.

"I don't want to see you again. That was why you were so reserved wasn't it! You didn't care about me at all! Ever!" she said through her tears. Klenon wanted to say something but it would only make things worse. A small tear formed around his eye. It was his own damn fault he didn't showed Arenia how much he cared about her.

"Arenia..."

"I told you to shut up!" Arenia cried. Maleko wrapped his arm around her and hugged her tightly. She sobbed loudly on his chest. It felt like someone punched him in the stomach when Klenon saw that. It made another tear fall from his eye. It was over. He did lose.

"Take him away. Now. We don't need this to go on any further." Maleko ordered. Five guards walked up and restrained Klenon. He didn't resist.

"Arenia, please." he said. The guards forced him away from the group.

"Arenia!"

One of the guards pulled out a black stick and pressed a button. It lit up and he hit Klenon in the back of the head, shocking him. He fell to the floor in agony as the current went through him. The guards picked him back up and dragged him away.

"It's okay, Arenia. He can't hurt anyone anymore." Maleko whispered, stroking the back of her helmet as she continued to weep.

"I loved him." she cried.

"I know, child. But he didn't. He just wanted to make you his puppet, but not anymore. You're smarter than him." he said. Arenia continued to sob on his chest. Her heart was shattered into pieces that couldn't be fixed. She wished that she never volunteered to leave the Enclave. She wished that she never set off the distress beacon.

She wished that she never even met him.

**...**


	24. Chapter 24

**So begins the life of an inmate. How deliciously not fun.**

**Hawk: Don't we all wish that we were in the mass effect universe. Aliens, getting killed by reapers. Yeah, that's the life. :D**

**Sergius: I had to fight the urge to write a fake chapter where he dies for April fool's day. Didn't think people would take too kindly to that.**

**Mapped: Ah, yes, fixing. The act of repairing a broken object to make it work. I have dismissed that claim.**

**GIRLIKESTACOS: He's probably hitting on more quarians. :)**

Chapter 24: Our Mandate

A door slid open and Klenon was pushed inside with cuffs around his wrists. He hadn't spoken at all or even made another attempt to resist. He was at the beginning of a long hallway with a Quarian in a desk at the end of it.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" the Quarian said.

"Another criminal. Bosh'tet murdered five Quarian prospectors." one of the guards said, pushing Klenon towards the desk.

"You know, it's people like you that make me lose faith in our race. I hope you rot, idiot." the Quarian said. Klenon didn't respond, he barely even showed any acknowlodgement.

The Quarian typed on his terminal then looked back at the guards. One of them begn to take off everything on Klenon's suit. The very datapad that had the evidence against Maleko was put on the desk.

"His cell will be 3B4." the Quarian said.

"Roger. Come on, scum." the guard said shoving Klenon towards cell block 3.

_I can't believe it. Everything I valued, everything I cared about is gone. I probably should have left with Tara and Darin, but either way, I would have lost Arenia.. _

Klenon was escorted to a large barred door with two guards next to of them pulled out a keycard and swiped it next to the door.

The door made a loud buzzing noise and slid open. Klenon could hear both the conversations between inmates and the sorrow-filled murmers as soon as he stepped in. The cell block was a large rectangle with five rows of cells stacked ontop of each other to the right. There were large, barred windows to his left.

"Move." one of the Quarians ordered, shoving him. Some of the inmates saw Klenon walk in, but didn't say anything, they merely returned to what they were doing. Klenon walked to the end of the first row and saw stairs that led up to the remaining ones.

"Go." one of the guards said. Klenon ascended the stairs, not knowing where to stop. Once he reached the fourth floor, one of the guards grabbed him by the back of his sash.

"Stop right here." one of them said. He directed Klenon past the cells and stopped him at the fourth one. One of the guards opened it and threw him inside.

Before shutting the door, one of the guards took Klenon's Enclave stone and put it in his pocket.

"Won't be needing this anymore you bastard." he said, shutting the barred door. Klenon put his hands through the bars and sighed.

_This day turned into a nightmare. I'm all al-_

"What are you in for?"

Klenon turned around and saw a male Quarian in a orange and gray suit. He was sitting on one of the wooden beds with his hands behind his head. Klenon shook his head and looked back through the bars. He looked out through the windows and saw the peaceful and tranquil city that was completely oblivious to Maleko's deeds.

_I failed her. She could be next and I can't do anything abo-_

"C'mon, kid. I know you may think of me as an inmate who robbed a old man blind or butchered a child's family in front of 'em, but keeping your mouth shut doesn't do you any good here." he said. Klenon looked down at the floor and solemnly said "I messed up. I've been framed and he gets to live on the rest of his life in luxury."

"Who?"

Klenon looked at the Quarian and said "Maleko'Pren."

"The administrator? He framed you?" the Quarian said.

"Yeah. I found a datapad that implicates him with some bugs that are kidnapping Quarians and he found out and arrested me. I know you don't believe me, nobody does." Klenon said.

"I do believe you."

Klenon looked back at him in surprise.

"You do?"

"Of course. As a matter of fact, he framed me too." he said, getting up.

"How?"

"There's a lot of shady stuff that happens here. And all the citizens are given a blind eye. I should know, I used to be the captain of the guard." he said.

"What happened to you?" Klenon asked, fully orienting himself towards him.

"Same thing that happened to you, I found out about Maleko's dealings with those bug things and he had me jailed, saying that I was corrupt. Can you believe it? I, Vero'Palten, who was respected by the people, was accused of corruption, just so that the administrator could keep his dirty little secret." he said, disgusted. He sat back down and sighed.

"But there's nothing I can do about it. He's got me trapped here with guards in every inch of this building." Vero said. Klenon looked back out the windows. He wasn't the only one who was imprisoned because of deception. It gave him a small sense of ease to know he wasn't alone.

"And it's not just us. There are more cell blocks full of people who were imprisoned becaue of their 'crimes'." Vero added.

"Sounds like the administrator doesn't know how to keep a secret." Klenon said, looking back at him. The additional news of entire cell blocks full of innocents made him feel somewhat like a marine again. There were Quarians who needed help from unseen forces and Quarians who needed to be redeemed. He could do both.

"But like I said, he's got us trapped in here like rats. We're locked in an iron pen and the people are none the wiser. Maleko wins every time one of us is imprisoned." Vero said.

"No. It can't end like this. I'm not going to lose to that bosh'tet and shrivel up here to die." Klenon said.

"There's nothing you can do. Maleko manipulated his way to the top and it's impossible to get him down." Vero said.

"I've dealt with worse odds. I can take him. I can make sure everyone knows what he did." Klenon said with renewed determination.

"Your puffin' smoke, kid. Even if you made it out of this cell, the guards would shoot you down before you can ask them for directions." Vero said. It was obvious he had given up. Klenon showed his open palm and a ball of dark energy formed.

"They have their weapons, I have mine." Klenon said with a grin. Vero didn't respond immediatly. He looked at the dark energy then looked up at Klenon.

"Biotics? That's new. Haven't seen a Quarian biotic all my life. Well, there's a first time for everything." Vero said.

"So what? You think you can power through here and confront Maleko?" he asked.

"Something like that." Klenon said. He looked out the window again and looked back at Vero.

"We can take this place over. If we can recruit the other cell blocks that were falsely accused, we can take over this prison and get out of here." Klenon said.

"Talk about a rebound." Vero said. He got up and began to pace in front of him.

"Okay, there are problems with that. One, we don't know if the other cell blocks will even agree to this. Sure they're angry but they're not suicidal and the guards are armed to the teeth in case of a breakout." Vero said.

"So we'll use that to our advantage. Catch them by surprise and take their weapons." Klenon said.

"This is a longshot, kid. It sounds damn near impossible. You can't just pull something like this out of the air." Vero said.

"A longshot is better than nothing." Klenon said. Vero gave a small, tired smile under his helmet. This kid was tenacious, that's for sure.

"I'll tell you what, you go ahead and do what you want. Get yourself executed or something. I'll watch from the sidelines and if somehow you do manage to recruit these Quarians to your little army, I'll tag along too." Vero said.

"Perfect. Now, is there a time when the cells block are let out?" Klenon asked.

"That would be either to mine or to go into the courtyard to stretch our legs. Those would be your best chances." Vero said.

"Alright, good. Which cell blocks are the one's with falsely accused Quarians?" he asked.

"That would be cell blocks two through eight. All of them are isolated cells, keeping to themselves." Vero answered.

"Okay. We wait until we go outside and I'll do the rest." Klenon said.

"Good luck with that, kid. Keelah knows you'll need every ounce of it." Vero said, laying on the wooden bed. Klenon sat down on the wooden bed on the other side of the cell. He began to put the plan together in his head.

He wasn't going to let go of her that easily. He never will.

...

Klenon stepped into the moist and soft grass. He had been in prison for two days and they finally let out his cell block into the courtyard. The sun was in the middle of the sky and numerous Quarians were in the oval shaped courtyard.

"Do you recognize any innocents? Anyone?" Klenon asked when he noticed Vero walking up next to him. Vero scanned the courtyard and looked at Klenon.

"There are only two cell blocks here. The others must be in their cells or in the mine shaft." Vero said, pointing at a group of Quarians at the edge of the field.

"Then I guess I'll only be able to convince the cell blocks here. C'mon." Klenon said.

"No way. I told you I'm staying in the sidelines until you prove that you can actually pull this off." Vero said.

"Fine. I'll convince them myself." Klenon said, walking towards the group of Quarians. One of them, a woman in a purple suit, noticed him and walked towards him.

"What do you want? We have enough trouble as it is." she said.

"I'm here with a proposition." Klenon said.

"We don't want anything to do with your proposition." she said firmly, walking away from him.

"I know how you got in here. I can help you get out _and _get back at the bosh'tet who did this to you." Klenon said loud enough for the whole group. The Quarian stopped then turned around and stared him down.

"What do you know about our problem?" she asked.

"I know that Maleko imprisoned you because of what you found out about him. I did too, and I can help all of you get out of here." he said. All of the Quarians walked towards him and encircled around him. The woman crossed her arms and hummed.

"You're pulling our leg. No one has ever tried something this stupid before." she said.

"I'm not. I want to get back at him just as much as you do." Klenon said.

"This is crazy, right? How the hell are we going to get back at Maleko?" a Quarian said behind him.

"I'm making a plan right now. All I'm asking for is your allegiance." Klenon said.

"I don't know, Qerean. This seems like a ruse to me." a Quarian said.

"Even if it is, he can't make things worse for us, can he?" Qerean said, walking up to him.

"So, you want our help to break out of here, and in exchange, Maleko gets what's been coming to him for years?" she said.

"Only if you agree to help me." Klenon said. Qerean looked at him straight in the eye for long time. Klenon only returned the gaze.

"We're in. But you better come through for us. Otherwise, you and me are going to have a little talk." she threatened. Klenon held out his hand. She staredat it for a while before reluctantly shaking it.

"You better be telling the truth." she warned.

"I don't leave my friends in the dust." he said.

"So, what do we do? I assume we're getting out of here soon." she said.

"First, we're going to have to do a bit of scouting. Check every schedule, every route, every security checkpoint. We're going to have to learn everything about this prison, inside and out. Only then can we start." Klenon said.

"What do you need us to do?" Qerean asked.

"I need you to recruit more cell blocks that were framed by Maleko. The more people we have with us, the better chance we have of taking this place over." Klenon ordered.

"Recruitment restrictions?" she asked.

"Only cell blocks two through eight. We can't risk having actual inmates running free in the city once we break out." Klenon said.

"You're already confident about our success. Good, I like that." Qerean said.

"So you agree?" Klenon asked.

"Yes. My men will do what they can. I may be able to scout a few routes in the prison aswell." she said.

"Good. I'm going to figure out the rest of the plan. I need some peace to think this through." Klenon said.

"Is there anyone who is already recruited?" she asked.

"Vero'Palten is thinking of joining. We need more people before he'll commit to anything." Klenon said.

"Vero'Palten? The old captain of the guard? He hasn't talked much. We usually forget he's here." Qerean said.

"He keeps to himself but having an experienced guard can be useful to us, so we need as many followers as we can." Klenon said.

"I got you. We'll do everything in our power to gain more people to our cause. Keelah se'lai." she said, walking away with the rest of the Quarians following her. Klenon watched them go for a while then walked back to Vero.

"I told you I'd be able to pull it off." Klenon said.

"So you got a cell block to work with you, but that isn't going to do much. You need more, a lot more." Vero said.

"I aim to do that." Klenon said.

...

"Get a move on!" a guard shouted, pushing Klenon and Vero inside the mine shaft. He closed the door behind them and darkness soon fell inside the shaft. A few lights that were attached to the wall flickered on, showing the long path where a few Quarians were already working. It had only been a few hours since Klenon convinced

"Any cell blocks here?" Klenon asked.

"Only one Quarian from cell block five. Over there." Vero said, pointing at a red-suited male Quarian picking away at a rock.

"Know his name?" Klenon asked.

"Oflen'Remos. He's a shy sort, a bit naive too. I'm not too sure about his chances of persuading his entire block." Vero said.

"Might aswell try. Qerean has already persuaded the other block that was in the courtyard." Klenon said.

"I'll try to get some work done so the guards aren't suspicious." Vero called out. He picked up a nearby pickaxe and began to pick at a nearby rock.

The mine was cramped. Klenon had to crouch a bit to avoid hitting his head. There was also not much room to move between people.

Eventually, he reached the Qurian who was breathing heavily. Klenon lightly tapped on his shoulder, making the Quarian jump.

"Oh, Keelah! You startled me. What do you want?" Oflen asked. He sounded very young, probably only about sixteen years old.

"Oflen? Oflen'Remos?" Klenon asked.

"Y-yes, that's me. What do you want?" he asked again.

"I came here for your help." Klenon said.

"Why? Why can I help you?" Oflen asked. He sounded rather scared. This wasn't the place for him or anyone else who was falsely accused.

"How'd you get here?" Klenon asked.

"Umm...I was exploring in the wilderness and I saw something big. I ran away, back to the Enclave. The security said that I did something wrong but they didn't tell me what. Then they just threw me in here." Oflen said. Klenon sat down and sighed.

"I need you to persuade a few people. Can you do that?" Klenon asked.

"I don't know. I've never tried to. I don't know how much help I can be to you. I don't even know what you want." he said.

"A whole bunch of people and I are getting out of here, but we need people willing to fight their way out." Klenon explained.

"You're getting out? That's...going to be hard isn't it?" Oflen said.

"Not unless you help me. I need you to convince as many peole as possible in your block to join us." Klenon said.

"I do want to get out of here and get back home. I guess I can try to talk to people, but I don't know if I can succeed with everybody." Oflen said.

"Even if you just convince one person, you will have done a great service, to both you and the Enclave." Klenon said.

"I'll try my best. Should I tell you when I do or..." Oflen asked.

"Yes, tell me whenever someone decides to join us. Trust me,"

Klenon got up and looked at Oflen through his visor.

"once we have everything we need, we'll all go home." Klenon said.

"I'd like that." Oflen said. Klenon walked away from Oflen, leaving him to his work. Klenon stopped in front of Vero and crossed his arms.

"He's onboard. He's going to convince as many people in his block as he can." Klenon said.

"Good. Didn't think you'd have it in you, but don't get cocky. We still have a long way to go." Vero said.

"Don't we all?"

...

The cell door closed and the guard walked away. Klenon and Vero were in their cell again.

"I have to admit, kid, your skills at recruitment are better than I thought." Vero said, sitting back on his bed. Klenon almost didn't hear him, he was too busy looking out the window. It chilled him to the bone to know that Arenia was in danger. For all he knew, she could be the next body in those mass graves. If it did happen, Klenon would tear Maleko's heart out for breaking his.

"Kid?"

"I want this done quickly. I don't want to spend another day in here. I need to get out. Now." Klenon said, suddenly sounding impatient.

"With time. We're building a sizable force and all under the nose of the guard. Hell, I'm going to join, too. I can see that you're actually comitted to this and that you won't give it up." Vero said. Klenon looked back out at the two silver moons that hung over the Enclave.

"Not for her. I'll never give up on her, even if she thinks I did kill them." Klenon whispered.

"You're going to need to keep your energy up, kid. Take a breather. If anyone comes up with information, I'll let you know when you wake up." Vero said, trying to be as friendly as possible. Klenon didn't feel like sleeping, but it was the best way to pass the time.

He laid down on his bed and sighed. He didn't want to have to drag this on any longr than necessary. As soon as the time was right, as soon as the first signal is given, he would break out of here with all he had.

And nobody would stop him.

...

"Vero?" Qerean said on the other side of the bar doors. It had been an entire week since Klenon began recruiting. He got up from his bed and walked over to her. It was early dawn and most of the guards were off-duty. It gave Qerean the opportunity to sneak into the cell block.

"Ehhh, what?" he said, feeling tired and sore from yesterday's work.

"Here. I got a list of everyone that's onboard." she said, handing him a piece of paper. Vero took it and read the names over.

"This is a sizable force, but it's not everybody in the cell blocks." Vero said. There was atleast seventy-five names on the paper.

"We couldn't reach everybody and some thought we were bluffing. I also got a map that my men drew. It shows all of the exits and a few guard posts." she said, handing him the map.

"This is good. I'll let Klenon know when he wakes up and then we can decide what to do." he said, slipping the map in his pocket. Qerean looked around as if she heard a sudden noise.

"I have to go. The guards will be here any minute. At breakfast, sit by our table. We can discuss the plans there." she said. And with that she ran away. Vero walked up to Klenon's side and tapped on his visor.

"Get up, kid." he said softly. Two small slits of lights came out from under the visor.

"What? Are we going to the mines again?" Klenon asked. It was obvious from his tone that he was exhuasted.

"Cheer up. Qerean came by, she said to sit at her table to discuss any further actions."

"I'll be sure to do that. Do we have to mine today? I'd rather not lose what little energy I have." Klenon asked with genuine concern.

"No, that's tomorrow. We'll have plenty of time to recuperate." Vero assured. Klenon sighed in relief and closed his eyes.

"Besides, we might be out of here by then." Vero said. Klenon opened his eyes in surprise.

"Tomorrow?"

"Check this out. You have a strong following so far." Vero said as he pulled out the piece of paper. Klenon grabbed it and read over the names.

"By Keelah, how did this many people join in one week?" Klenon said, shocked by his own success.

"Maybe you're just a natural leader."

"Or it's just luck. I'll take it either way."

Klenon put the paper in his pocket then got up to stretch.

"Might aswell make up the plan while we have time." Klenon said, pulling out another piece of paper from his pocket. He had never written on paper since most data was transferred on datapads, so the act was very alien to him.

He pulled out a small stick that was covered with soot at the tip and began to write down more ideas. Vero walked over to the cell door and looked outside, watching a few trees blowing in the breeze.

A red-suited Quarian suddenly jumped down in front of Vero, startiling him.

"Fuck! What are you doing here?" Vero demanded. The red-suited Quarian held up his hands in innocence.

"I'm sorry. I needed to tell him something." Oflen said, pointing at Klenon. Klenon walked up behind Vero.

"What is it, Oflen?"

"I managed to convince two people. They say that they're going to get ready for any sign of a breakout." Oflen said, wringing his hands.

"That's good. Thank you for the info, now get out of here before the guards find you." Klenon urged. Oflen nodded and climbed onto the barred door. He jumped and caught something on the wall and pulled himself up and out of their sight.

"The kid can squeeze through the vents. We can use that to our advantage." Vero noticed, sticking his head out the door.

"It'd be better to keep him out of the line of fire. He can be a useful supporter." Klenon said.

"All prisoners step away from their cell doors. Guards will be by momentarily to escort you to the cafeteria for breakfast." a woman said over the intercom.

"Better hide that plan. Today is the day guards inspect the cells." Vero advised. Klenon looked around for a suitable place to hide it. Eventually, he pulled out a brick with his biotics and put the paper inside the hole; covering it with the brick.

"C'mon, I can hear the guards coming." Vero said, backing up against the wall. Klenon did the same just as the guards approached the cell door. They unlocked it and one of them leveled a rifle at them.

"Move." a guard ordered. The two walked out in a docile manner and were escorted by one of the guards. The other went inside their cell and began searching it.

...

Klenon and Vero searched the cafeteria with a tube in each of their hands. They were looking for Qerean, who was sitting at the very edge of the room with other Quarians from her block.

Klenon and Vero sat down across from her and she put a map of the prison on the table.

"Jori, Rada, keep a look out for any guards." she ordered. Two Quarians got up and went to seperate tables.

"You said you had a plan. Enlighten us." she said, leaning back in her chair. Klenon pulled out the soot-covered stick and began to draw on the map.

"Our cell blocks are here and the exit is here." Klenon started as he pointed at different locations on the map. The prison itself was a rectangle with a circle on one side. The circle had other rectangles coming out of it; each was a cell block.

The other side was the courtyard and across from that was a square that held the remaining cell blocks, guards quarters, armory, and the warden's office.

"I'm betting that in the smallest amount of trouble, the warden is going to lockdown the exits to each cell block and the main exit." Klenon said, pointing at the middle of the square where the warden's office was.

"So, a small group is going to break in as the attack starts and lift the lockdown. Once the exits are open, we get out of here." Klenon said.

"The warden's office is heavily guarded. It has defense turrents that have heavy armor, making them invulnerable to hacking." Vero said.

"Which is why we need to go into the power supply here." Klenon said, pointing a room in the back of the square.

"Someone is going to kill the power, which is going to make the emergency generators come online. Someone else is going to kill that." Klenon said.

"Once the power had been completely deactivated, the guards are going to be the only one's in our way." Vero said.

"Plus, the warden is no doubt going to alert Maleko. Putting the whole Enclave on alert." Klenon said.

"That's suicide! Even if we do get out of here, we'll be staring at 4 million armed citizens." Qerean protested.

"You're half-right. The citizens will attack us, but we won't be near them." Klenon said.

"We're going into the Enclave's sewer system and work our way from underground right to city hall and to Maleko. There is a man-hole not far from the prison entrance, here."

Klenon circled an area to the prisons left.

"We're going into the sewers? Atleast we'll be in our suits." Qerean said.

"There are guard towers surrounding the prison, so it is imperative that we acquire sniper rifles from the armory to neutralize them." Vero said.

"This is it. Our plan of attack. What do you guys think?" Klenon said.

"It sounds smooth, but a lot is riding on this. You sure this is fool-proof?" Qerean asked.

"Nothing is fool-proof, but I'm confident in the plan. I know we can do this." Klenon said. Quarians looked at each other in a mix of hope and uncertainty. Many believed the plan wouldn't work, but they were going to do everything in their power to be free.

"What about our numbers? We don't have a lot of fighters." Qerean asked.

"Qerean, you said that some people thought we were bluffing. Once they see this" Vero said, pointing at the map.

"happen, they will know we're telling the truth and join our cause."

"Once the plan is in effect, make sure to not let any real inmates loose. We don't need that problem ontop of everything else." Klenon said.

The Quarians looked at each other again. This time there were more nods of approval.

"One last question, when do we start?" Qerean asked.

"Tomorrow, when they let us out for breakfast. Judging from the map, I'd say that they go to our cells first. Once we get free, there will be an alarm. That's your signal to attack." Klenon answered.

"Alright. We're putting our lives in your hands. Don't fail us." Qerean said.

"If we fail, the entire Enclave could be eradicated by Maleko's schemes. We either save the Enclave or it'll burn to the ground. Your choice." Klenon said. Everybody nodded in agreement. If they lose, they lose their homes, their families, and their children.

"We'll stand by your side, to the end." Qerean said. All of the Quarians nodded again. Klenon couldn't believe his own handiwork. He had an army willing to follow him, all with one purpose.

By dawn tomorrow, they would lead their revolution.

And the truth will be revealed.

**A prison riot for good? How often does that happen?**

**The Enclave is going to go into a possible war. First, we need to see if the prison break will work.**

**This is going to be fun to write. I know it. You guys ready to see Klenon kick some ass? This'll be the time when he's going to be the most badass. Ferret out.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Let the revolution begin! Time to break out of that hell hole and start a war.**

**Hawk: Nothing is too violent for a T rating...oh wait.**

**GIRLIKESTACOS: You make a good point. A very good point indeed. =3**

**Cutlass-Cougar: It's okay. I got carried away while writing this chapter.**

**Mapped: Why not? Your first orders are to go to the nearest store, get a soda, and read this chapter. **

Chapter 25: Our Right

"All prisoners step away from their cell doors. Guards will be by momentarily to escort you to the cafeteria for breakfast." the woman on the intercom said.

Klenon lifted his head just enough to see out the windows. Today was the day the riot would take place. Within a few seconds, the guards would arrive to their cell and the first phase would begin.

"This is it. Ready for this, kid?" Vero asked as he got up.

"I've been ready since we first started." Klenon replied confidently. They both back up to the wall and waited patiently for the guards.

"We better hope the others come through for us." Vero said.

"They will. I know they will."

"What are we going to do? Everyone else knows their role, what's ours?" Vero asked.

"We look for Oflen. Since he can crawl through the vents, he can get to central command and ease a few pains for us." Klenon said.

There was suddenly a loud_ boom_, which startled Klenon.

"Thunder. It's going to be raining soon." Vero said.

_Thunder? That's new._

Two guards suddenly appeared. One of them unlocked the door and opened it as the other raised his rifle. Vero and Klenon walked out innocently. Vero past the armed guard, moving on normally.

As soon as Klenon was in front of the armed guard, he grabbed the rifle and punched him in the throat. Klenon 'threw' the other guard across the room, making him land on the concrete floor below.

Still hurting from the blow to his throat, the guard tried to pull the gun away from Klenon and call for help. Klenon jerked the gun out of the guards grip and threw him over the rails aswell, landing with a loud _thud_.

The barred entrance to the cell block opened and more guards ran in. Klenon fired round after round, killing all of them in a few seconds. Unfortunately, Klenon was deeply bothered that he had to kill his own people.

"Klenon, we gotta go." Vero urged waiting at the top of the stairs.

"Vero, get these cells unlocked. Let out the innocent Quarians and tell them to get whatever weapons they can." Klenon ordered.

"What about you?"

"I'm going to look for Oflen. He's going to be vital to this prison break." Klenon said, jumping off the rails and landing on the ground.

Checking to see if the guards were dead, Klenon heard footsteps behind him. He aimed his gun at the source and saw Qerean run in with two others.

"You're just in time." Klenon remarked.

"Most of my cell block is letting the others loose. We came over here to see if you needed any help." she said.

"I need you to get to the power systems and shut them down. Think you can do that?" Klenon asked as he peeked around the corner of the barred door.

"Not even a challenge. Let's move, I know a shortcut." she said to her men.

Qerean ran off with the other three. Klenon walked into the main room as soon as the alram began to sound. Klenon quickly looked to his left and saw a large bulkhead door close, sealing off the prison's entrance.

_Just as planned._

Klenon ran into another cell block and saw that Quarians already began to pour out of their cells and attack any nearby guards. Everything was going great so far. Turning his attention to other matters, Klenon ran down the same long hall he went down the first time he was here and stopped at the reception desk.

He looked around for the key to to the last phase, the datapad that implicated Maleko. He searched every drawer, but it was nowhere to be found. he slammed his fist in against the desk in frustration then began to think.

A Quarian ran up to him and held out his hand. It was a small rod; an omni-tool. Klenon took it then activated it.

"Klenon, we're making our way to power housing. I found Oflen on the way, he's heading towards the main lobby now." Qerean said over the omni-tool's radio.

"Alright, good, I'll wait here." Klenon said.

A shot whizzed by Klenon and he began to fire at the source, a few guards. He jumped over the table for cover and returned fire. A grenade bounced off the back wall and landed at Klenon's feet. He picked it up frantically and threw it back, exploding right in front of the guards.

Vero suddenly appeared from the cell block with other Quarians. All of them were armed with improvised knvies and lead pipes.

"Klenon! I got them free. Where's Oflen?" Vero asked.

"He's on his way here. Listen, there's a datapad that had evidence against Maleko. We need to get it back to show the people what he did, but I don't know where it is." Klenon said.

"If it's something as important as that, it's going to be in the warden's office. That's our top pirority." Vero said.

"Let's make our way there as soon as Oflen shows up." Klenon said. A few guards suddenly ran into the circular roon, shooting and killing a few Quarians. Klenon returned fire and killed one guard.

Vero quickly grabbed a dead Quarian's knife and threw it at the guards, hitting one of them in the neck. The guards neck began to spray blood as he choked on the blood that was flooding his lungs.

Klenon sprayed bullets at the last guard, killing him with ease.

"Klenon, it's only a matter of time before more guards start flooding in here." Vero said.

"Right. Listen, when Oflen get's here, have him contact me via an omni-tool. I'll go on to the warden's office by myself." Klenon said.

"Alright, get going. We'll stay here as long as we can." Vero said, picking up a rifle from a dead guard and giving it to a Quarian. Vero's radio began to crackle to life. He put his hand to his helmet and listened to the transmission.

"Klenon, our men are having a big firefight in the courtyard. They're outnumbered, outgunned, and there are snipers in the towers along the walls that are picking them off." Vero reported

"How bad is it?" Klenon asked.

"Bad enough to ask for our help. The courtyard is along the way to the Warden's office so you can help them out. Good luck."

Klenon started his way to the courtyard, leaving the others behind.

"Klenon, we're almost at the power housing. We're pinned down by some snipers." Qerean said.

"Keep your head down. Once the situation in the courtyard is pacified, I'll send some men your way." Klenon said.

"Alright. We'll hold here."

Klenon kept on his way towards courtyard. Once he reached the double-doors to the courtyard, he rammed into the door and looked around.

The courtyard was a warzone. There was an inumerable amount of prisoners and guards fighting each other in the rain. Bullets flew in different directions and there were pockets of prisoners and guards fighting each other with fists or knives.

Like the Quarian on the transmission said, there were snipers in towers shooting prisoners. Klenon pulled out his rifle and tried to shoot some snipers nearby.

"Klenon!"

Klenon turned around and saw Oflen running towards him.

"Oflen, get out of here. This place is dangerous." Klenon said.

"But you called for me." Oflen said.

"I did, but you need to stay away from here. I need you to do something important." Klenon said.

"What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to crawl inside the vents and make your way to the backup generator, can you do that?" Klenon asked.

"Of course." Oflen said confidently.

"When you get there, stay put until I call you. When I do, shut the backup generator down and stay there until I get you." Klenon said.

"O-okay. I'll be careful." Oflen said, looking around for a nearby vent to cawl in. He ran away from him and Klenon turned his attention back to the courtyard.

Klenon ran into the rain and fired shot after shot at snipers, killing only one. A bullet suddenly grazed Klenon's wrist, puncturing the suit.

Klenon cursed to himself and looked around for any assistance. He fired a few more rounds while walking over to a group of Quarians.

"Hey, you got a suit repair kit?" Klenon asked as he killed another sniper.

"A suit repair kit? Yeah, here." the Quarian said, pulling out a small box and handing it to him while continuing to speak to him.

"I'm glad you got here in time. Another second and-"

A bullet went through the Quarian's head, killing him instantly. His blood sprayed over Klenon's suit. Cursing, Klenon repaired his suit and went back to trying to kill the snipers. More guards began to flood into the courtyard, making the odds even worse for the prisoners.

"Vero, we need your help down here. The area is infested with guards, we need as much reinforcements as we can get!" Klenon shouted.

"I'm coming with as many men as I can but our numbers are stretching thin." Vero said.

_Damn it, at this rate, we won't be able to move on to phase two.._

"Hurry! The whole plan may die here!"

Klenon saw the last sniper at the far end of the courtyard, on the guards' side. He looked up and saw a sniper rifle that was at the edge of the roof. He pulled it in biotically and it landed in his hand.

He turned around quickly and fired multiple rounds, trying to hold off as many guards as possible.

Vero and another squad of Quarians rushed in to help, immediatly firing once they saw the guards.

"We don't have a lot of cover! We're going to be picked off one at a time." Vero said as he fired.

"We don't have a lot of options, Vero! We deal with whatever is coming our way or we won't live another two minutes!" Klenon shouted over the gunfire.

"Either way, we won't last another two minutes!" Vero replied. Klenon got up, holstered the rifle, and fired warps from both of his hands, connecting with a few guards. Rain began to fall from the sky along with thunder and lightning.

"We have no choice! Fight or die, we all know what we'd rather do." Klenon said as he fired more warps.

Prisoners began to be killed off, making things worse. A few began to retreat, getting gunned down by the guards.

"This isn't good!" Vero shouted. A grenade blew up close by, killing three more prisoners. Klenon pulled out his rifle again and fired at the last sniper, killing him.

Several explosions suddenly appeared on the guards' front, scattering them.

Klenon looked up behind him and saw prisoners on the roof throwing grenades at the guards.

_Here comes the calvary!_

More prisoners jumped down and fired assault rifles at the guards. Several more fired sniper rifles and even a few grenade launchers.

"Where'd they get that fancy stuff?" Vero asked.

"It doesn't matter. Now it's a fair fight." Klenon remarked as he shot a nearby guard. Vero raised his pistol and fired accurate rounds at the mass of guards.

"Klenon! We sent some Quarians to help you guys out, are they there?" Qerean asked on the radio.

"Yeah, and just in time. Thanks for the assist." Klenon said.

"I'm here to help. We took care of the snipers ourselves. When do we shut the power down? We're almost there." Qerean reported.

"We gotta push through to the warden's office. Once we're inside, I'll give you the okay and shut it down." Klenons said.

"Got it." Qerean said, cutting the line.

"Push forward! Do what you've wanted to do for a long time!" Klenon shouted. The prisoners pushed forward, forcing the guard's back. Some prisoners stepped forward and threw more grenades, exploding in front of the guards.

The rain began to come down harder, making an audible splash when it hit the ground. Thunder and lightning began to appear more frequently.

"We can do this! We must do this!" Vero shouted to motivate the inmates.

The guards began to retreat into the building, whether from orders or desperation.

"Go! Now's our chance!" Klenon ordered. All of the prisoners headed to the building while firing inside. A large steel shutter suddenly closed behind the last guard who entered. Sealing the rest of the prison away from them.

"Bastards think they can stop us by a shutter. Someone blow a hole in this thing!" Vero said. Klenon held his hand up, telling them to be quiet. He cautiously stepped closer to the shutter, anticipating another attack.

"What are you doing?" a prisoner asked. Vero shushed him. Klenon put his ear to the door, barely hearing a sound. He heard a faint clicking sound and it grew progressively louder.

Klenon's eyes grew wider when he realized what it was.

"Get away! Get away now!"

The shutter suddenly exploded in a large ball of fire, launching Klenon in the air head over heels and landing on his back ten feet away. Smoke emanated from the door, leaving everyone in suspense about what was going to come out.

All of the prisoners leveled their weapons at the small hole, ready to fire on a moment's notice. Vero ran over to Klenon's side and pulled him up.

"You okay?"

"I've been better, but I'm fine." Klenon said. They both looked at the smoking door just in time to see a horrible sight.

Five guards armored head to toe and armed with Revenant machine guns marched into the courtyard. Their visors were also covered with thick plates of steel, leaving a small slit for them to see. The guards began shooting their deadly weapons at the prisoners.

"You gotta be kidding me." Klenon mumbled.

"We got heavies. Get some distance and throw some grenades!" Vero shouted as he moved backwards while shooting the guards. The guards' metal plating deflected the bullets, it was as if they didn't even know they were being shot at. They merely continued shooting.

"How the hell are we going to kill those bosh'tets!" a prisoner panicked.

"Just keep firing. Buy me some time to think!" Klenon shouted, shooting at the armored guards head with his sniper. The guards head recoiled a bit from the bullets, but remained intact.

"These things are fucking robots or something!" a prisoner shouted. Klenon fired a biotic blast but only blew the guard back a couple of feet.

_This is no good. I have to think outside the box._

Klenon was about to fire another warp until the armored guard grabbed his wrist and tackled him to the ground. He struggled to get out from under the guard but he was too heavy to move.

The heavy grabbed a pistol from his belt and placed it on Klenon's visor. He gave a sinister laugh, savoring the inevitable kill.

"Vero...give me the grenade!" Klenon shouted. A small grenade suddenly appeared in the corner of the guards eye. Klenon grabbed it and pressed the button, activating it.

"See you in hell."

Klenon stuffed the live grenade in between the guard's armor and suit. He focused all of his biotic energy into one throw and launched the guard into the air. He never got a chance to come back down.

Pieces of the guard fell from the sky and pieces of burnt armor fell around the prisoners. The other heavies noticed their comrade's death but paid no attention to it.

Klenon saw the dead heavy's Revenant on the ground and picked it up. While the guards were distracted, he took aim and fired one burst, exploding a nearby heavy's head.

The loud crack of the Revenant got everyone's attention, including the guards'.

"Now that I have your attention..."

Klenon fired more rounds, killing the last three heavies.

"Get inside! We gotta pay back the warden in full for what he's done." Vero shouted. All of the prisoners resumed fire inside the building, massacring the guards.

"There can't be much more guards left. Can't believe we held out this long!" Vero exclaimed.

"Qerean, do you copy?" Klenon said into the radio, walking up next to Vero.

"I hear you." she responded.

"We're pushing into the Warden's office. Shut down the power now." Klenon ordered.

"Whatever you say."

Klenon and Vero ran inside the building, the prisoners were proceeding with the attack in a long hallway. Some of the guards had stayed behind to hold off the prisoners as long as possible.

Klenon attached the Revenant to his back then pulled out his sniper, shooting and killing a guard almost instantly.

The lights suddenly shut off and the hall was pitch dark. The only light came from the open door that stretched just in front of the prisoners.

The dark did not deter anyone from shooting. The hall was being lit up with the muzzle flashes of guns and the occasional explosion. It was impossible to tell who's dying scream belonged to who.

"I'm going to use the darkness to my advantage." Klenon whispered to Vero.

"What do you mean?"

Klenon didn't answer him, he just disappeared. Vero groaned and tried to fire in absolute darkness.

The fightning had continued longer than planned. The generators were taking a while to come online.

"How much longer until the generators come online, Oflen?" Qerean said over the radio.

"I don't know. This thing doesn't tell me anything." Oflen replied.

Vero suddenly heard more screams than usual. He also heard what sounded like biotics. He was able to see a few flashes of blue, but it wasn't enough for him to see what was happening.

The lights in the hall suddenly came on, revealing Klenon holding an unconscious guard up in the air with one hand. All around him were the bodies of the other guards, either dead or knocked out.

Noticing the lights were on again, Klenon threw the guard to the floor and looked over the large number of inmates.

"The armory is just up ahead. We can resupply there and hopefully get some better weapons." he said casually. He pulled out the Revenant again and proceeded down the hall and taking a left, the others followed.

Vero caught up to him and contacted Oflen on the radio.

"Oflen, the lights are back on. Kill them." he said.

"Whatever you say."

The large group reached a large steel door at the end of the hall. Two Quarians walked up to it and put makeshift charges on the door's hinges.

"Might wanna move." one of them said, backing away from it. The others hurried back from the door. The charges beeped rapidly and exploded, making the door comepletely loose. Klenon ran up to the door and knocked it down with a biotic blast.

The door fell inside the large room. The sight apalled them all. There were rows upon rows of assault rifles, snipers, shotguns and pistols. There were a few rocket lauchers, and a large green tube with a scope. To their right was equipment like the metal blocks that were used for ammunition and medi-gel packs.

Klenon walked up to a cardboard box and opened it. Inside were, oddly, rubber blocks.

"Those bosh'tets!" Klenon said angrily.

"What?" Vero asked.

"They had rubber bullets the whole time. Instead of trying to pacify us, they tried to kill us!" Klenon exclaimed. There were various objections and mumers of discontent among the inmates.

"It doesn't matter now. We got to get to the warden and get that datapad." Vero said. Klenon picked up the rubber blocks and put them on his belt.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm taking these with us. They might help with phase two." he said. Vero just shrugged and addressed the Quarians.

"Everyone grab what you need, but leave some for everybody else." he said, grabbing a nearby assault rifle. The Quarians flooded inside and began to pass around rifles and shotguns.

"You two, take the rest of these boxes and put them at the entrance." Klenon ordered, pointing at the cardboard boxes. The two nodded and picked them up.

Klenon walked outside and sighed. They were close to breaking out. There were only a few pockets of guards left and the warden was in arm's reach.

"We should move on ahead ourselves. No need to put the others in any dangr we can handle." Vero said, walking up next to him.

"That's probably for the best. Tell the others." Klenons said, walking away. He walked down about halfway down the hall until he turned left, it was a small hall with a wooden door.

Klenon reached to door only to have it open suddenly and have three Quarians rush in.

"Hey, sorry we missed the party. Are there any left?" Qerean asked.

"From what we know, there are a few pockets of them somewhere around here. Most of the survivors must be with the warden." Klenon said.

"Okay. Do you need our help to crack some skulls?" she asked, hefting her rifle onto her shoulder.

"We could use your help I guess. Just be ready. We don't know what we're going to find on the other side of the warden's door." Klenon warned.

"My men and I are ready for anything that warden can throw at us." Qerean said confidently.

"Alright then. I'm on my way to the warden's office now. Come on." Klenon said, walking past them. Vero soon walked up to her too.

"We're near the end. With the warden's death, we can take control over the prison." he said. He put his finger on his helmet and began to broadcast a message.

"This is Vero'Palten, all Quarians are to move to the entrance of the prison. Once the warden is dealt with, Oflen will turn the power back on and we can finally be free." he said.

"Did you catch that, Oflen?" Qerean asked.

"I did. I'll just stay here until you guys deal with everything. Give me a heads-up when you want the power restored." he replied.

Qerean, her men, and Vero went after Klenon. Behind the wooden door was a hall that led to the left and right, but in front of them was a grand door with two deactivated turrents on both sides. It was the warden's office. Klenon was already waiting there.

"Everyone stack up. Be ready." he said as he stood next to the door. Vero stood next to him and Qerean and her men took the other side.

Klenon opened the door and it quickly slid open. Klenon could hear a scuffling sound, like someone was trying to get out.

He peered out and barely dodged a bullet.

"Stay back! I'll kill everyone of you bosh'tets if you come inside!" the warden shouted. He sounded terrified.

"Qerean, can you see anyone in there besides him?" Klenon whispered.

"Not that I can tell. It's dark in there but I think he's in there alone." she said.

"We want something in your office. Just give it to us and you can go free." Klenon bargained.

"Like I'm going to listen to you! If I let you in, you're just going to kill me." the warden said nervously.

"We'll only kill you if you fire at us first. Just drop your gun and everything will be fine." Klenon said.

"No, no, no, no, no. You're not coming in here!" the warden shouted. He fired a few more rounds outside but none of them were close to hitting anybody.

"Klenon, this guy is obviously out of his mind. We need to take him out." Vero said.

"I agree. He's only going to be a danger to us." Qerean said.

"I guess that's the only thing we can do at this point. Besides, he's the one that ordered his men to use live rounds." Klenon said.

"It's the only thing we can do." Vero said.

"Vero, give me your pistol. I'm going to do this quickly." Klenon said. Vero handed him the pistol and Klenon leveled it. He quickly turned the corner and barely saw a figure in the darkness. Without waiting to see if it was the warden, Klenon fired.

The warden fell to the floor in pain. Blood was oozing from the wound on his shoulder and he began to feel a little sick. The group walked inside and made sure he was down.

"Start looking for the datapad with the evidence. That's what we're here for." Klenon said as he lit his arm with biotic energy, lightning the room. Everyone went off in different directions while Klenon walked past the injured warden and stopped behind his desk. He opened every drawer, looking for the evidence or a way to lift the lockdown.

"Found it." Qerean said. Lifting it from a nearby table. She tossed it to Klenon, who checked to make sure it was the right datapad.

"This is it." Klenon said. He opened another drawer and found his knife in it's sheath.

_What luck._

He pulled it out and looked it over. It was is the same condition as it was when it was taken from him.

"Oflen, turn on the power. We're lifting the lockdown." Vero said.

"No problem."

The lights suddenly came on, lighting up the whole room.

"You bosh'tets aren't going to last. Maleko knows what has happened." the warden coughed. Klenon walked in front of him and knelt next to him.

"And what makes you think that?"

"Because you're never going to leave this room!"

The warden pulled out a detonator and pressed the button. Red flashes began to beep around the ceiling. Everyone noticed it and knew what it was.

_Oh, Na-_

...

The Quarians gathered around the entrance. The power had come back on, but the lockdown hadn't been lifted, leaving many confused.

Most paid no attention. They were wither talking to one another or fixing and cleaning their weapons, waiting to take the fight to Maleko.

"What's taking them so long? It's been half and hour already." one of them said.

"I don't know, but it can't be good." another said.

They waited a bit longer, but still the lockdown wasn't lifted, making everyone anxious.

"Can you reach them on the comms?" a Quarian asked

"No, all I'm getting is static.

"We gotta go back to the warden's office. Maybe someth-"

"Attention, Quarians."

Everyone looked at the loudspeaker on the roof.

"Our time has come. The warden lies dead and the prison is ours. But this isn't the end, not by a longshot. This was only the beginning. Today, we bring the corrupted to their knees, we bring the administrator to justice and we take back what's been taken from us."

"You all have families, and you were taken from them by false accusations. Maleko took everything from you. And I know you aren't going to sit idly by while he does it again and again and again. His penalty is coming, but only if you are determined to do that."

"This isn't just for us, but for every single Quarian who has been manipulated by Maleko's lies and deceit. If we fail, then the Enclave will be destroyed. We cannot allow that to happen. Your fighting for your homes, your families, and your freedom.

"Phase two is in effect. We're getting closer to Maleko. One final battle remains, but it is the toughest of them all, but I know you all have what it takes to survive. Show Maleko that he can't abuse his power anymore, not while we're around."

"For honor."

"For justice."

"For freedom."

"For the fallen."

"For the Enclave."

...

Klenon switched off the intercom. He could hear the Quarians cheering through the thick concrete walls. He slid his finger down the crack that ran down the right side of his visor and looked at the scorch mark that went down on his left arm. Both came from the charges the warden had cleverly put. This is what they must pay to survive. One final effort remains,

and they were going to push with everything they got.

**They've taken the prison, now it's time for the Enclave. So what do you think? Can they win a war against 4 million Quarians? Trust me when I say that this is only a taste of things to come in later stories. **

**We're getting close to the end and I'm going to give everything I've got to make it the most awsome war ever.**

**Ferret out.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26. Revel in it's glory. Are you reveling yet?**

**Sergius: There is plenty of war to go around! I'll start giving it out like Oprah.**

**Mapped: It did make sense and yes the waste did get real. :)**

**Dusty: Thanks! Happy face.**

Chapter 26: Our Allies

"Klenon, we may have a problem." Vero said. Klenon put his finger on his helmet's comms and responded.

"What? There can't be any more things to deal with, can there?" he said.

"That depends on what you think needs taking care of. Get up here on the roof and I'll explain everything." Vero said, cutting the line. Klenon looked around for a way to the roof. He was in a small rectangular room with two exits.

Going through one, he was in the now-collapsed warden's room. The entire ceiling came down and almost killed everyone. Fortunately, the only person who died was the warden. Looking through the new hole, Klenon could see a few drops of water coming through it.

Klenon climbed onto the rubble and slowly climbed his way up the debris. He reached a small space between what used to be the ceiling and the roof itself. The drops of water were coming through a small hole above him.

He charged up biotic energy in his hand and blew the hole into a bigger one. Now, rain began to pour ontop of him and fall into the office below him.

He clutched the ledge and pulled himself up. He feel the rain hitting his suit. He had felt it before, but now that he wasn't fighting, he could truly notice how the rain felt beating against his suit. He still, however, couldn't feel the water itself.

Getting to his feet, he looked around for any sign of Vero. He soon spotted him looking over the Encalve with four other Quarians.

"So, what's this problem you're talking about?" Klenon said as he walked over to him.

"Your plan seems to have hit a bump." Vero said, turning to him.

"And just what is that bump?"

"The rain. We weren't counting on the weather in all of this. The Enclave's storm drains are going to be flooded. We can't transport everyone through there. It'd be a deathtrap." Vero explained.

"That means..." Klenon said.

"The only way to get to Maleko is to go straight through the Enclave." Vero said.

"_That_ is a deathtrap." Klenon said.

"Exactly. We lost a lot of people in the prison breakout alone. Going against the Enclave population would be an absolute slaughter." Vero said, there was a noticable sense of hopelessness in his voice.

Klenon paced back and forth, trying to formulate a plan. He looked out at the Encalve and thought hard. They could try to find Rekko, but one silver-touged turian couldn't turn tides of war.

He looked over every single building, looking for any kind of tactical advantage. Sadly, any building with even a hint of tactical advantage was in the middle of the city.

Something then popped into his mind. He looked towards the edge of the city and saw the same large building with the shining sphere on top.

"There." Klenon said, pointing at the research building.

"That?"

"I've been there before. Maleko gave me a tour. Inside there is about a batallion of war droids. I didn't trust them because of what happened with the Geth, but they can be an invaluable help now." Klenon said.

"War droids, huh? Well, it's the best plan we have. The research base isn't far from the prison and I doubt it's heavily guarded." Vero said.

"The only question is how are we going to get over there before they're alerted of our escape." Klenon said. Everyone suddenly heard a loud whirring noise coming from behind them. The wind began to blow in front of them. Dust and leaves were blown off of the roof.

Klenon and Vero turned around to see a black helicopter with a open cabin and two rotor blades.

Qerean leaned out of the cabin, hanging on to a handle.

"You guys need a lift?" she asked.

"Well since your offering." Klenon said. The helicopter landed next to them and Klenon and Vero stepped inside.

"Where are we going?" Qerean asked. Vero looked at Klenon who answered.

"The research building. We're bolstering our numbers."

"How?"

"I'll explain when we get there."

The helicopter lifted off and flew over the front of the prison. The remaining Quarians were all outside.

"Stop this thing. I need to talk to the rest of them." Klenon said to the pilot. The helicopter stopped and lowered just above the Quarian's heads.

"Alright listen, we're going to the research building to get some reinforcements. There is no doubt that the residents of the Enclave will shoot first and ask questions never." Klenon said. All of the Quarians nodded in agreement.

"So, we're going to have to fight them, but I'm only going to say this once. Do _not_ kill them. They have no idea what's really going on and it's not right to kill them because of it." he continued.

"That's going to be impossible! How are we going to get anywhere with them shooting at us." a Quarian said.

"I have a way to work around that." Klenon said.

"Which is?" Vero asked.

"Where are those Quarians with the boxes of rubber blocks?" Klenon asked. Two hands came up.

"Get over here with the boxes." Klenon said. The Quarians pushed through the crowd and, once they were in front of the helicopter, tossed the boxes onto the floor.

"We're going to use these. Rubber bullets will be enough to take down any civilian. Once they are incapacitated, tie them up or lock them in a room, whatever you need to do to make sure they can't fight, but you will not do anything drastic." Klenon said sternly.

The Quarians looked around uncertainly. This sounded like a very bad idea to them.

"I know what you guys are thinking. But trust me when I say that I have a way to even the odds." Klenon said.

"And just what is that?" a Quarian asked. Klenon brought up his omni-tool and took out the datapad from his belt. He scanned the contents with his omni-tool and began making copies.

"Once you do manage to take a few residents out, you need to show them this information. It has the evidence against Maleko. You show them this and they will be told the truth. Once you do that, they will know who the real enemy is and fight on our side." Klenon said.

"I have to admit, kid, that's pretty clever." Vero said. Klenon nodded then turned back to the crowd.

"Everyone that has an omni-tool should step forward to get the data. It's going to be all up to you to get the citizens of the Encalve on our side." Klenon said.

Qerean stepped next to him and Klenon scanned it, putting the file in her omni-tool. More Quarians walked up to him and Klenon scanned each one.

"Since that's taken care of, we need to move on to our plan of attack." Klenon said.

"Half of us are going to attack one side while the other half attacks the other. We're going to have them fight on both sides." Klenon said.

"Believe me when I say that getting there isn't going to be easy. The entire Enclave is going to be on us. Use extreme caution when going through the city because we can't go inside the sewers due to the rain." Vero said.

"Start mobilizing and start making your way to either side of the research facility. We're starting phase two. Stay vigilant and you'll get out of this alive." Klenon said. He stepped off of the helicopter and grabbed a few rubber blocks from the box.

"Good luck." Klenon said as he stepped back onto the helicopter.

The helicopter lifted off and turned around, heading towards the Encalve.

"Take us on the edge of the Enclave. That way we won't alert as many people." Klenon said to the pilot. He nodded and steered the helicopter closer to the wall.

"Taero 2, this is Taero 3. We are approaching the designated LZ. ETA, three minutes." a voice said on the radio.

"Copy that, Taero 3. Taero 2 is flapping it's wings. ETA five minutes." the pilot said.

Klenon leaned out of the helicopter, watching over the Enclave buildings as they sped past them. They didn't know what was going to happen in only a few hours.

"This is it, kid. The final stretch." Vero said.

"You ever get that crystalizing moment where you know what's going to happen?" Klenon asked.

"I don't recall one." Vero said.

"I'm getting that feeling right now." Klenon said.

"We are going to kick the ESF's ass. The bosh'tets won't know what hit 'em." Qerean said. Klenon pulled out his sniper and loaded the rubber brick inside of it. He then pulled out his Revenant and did the same.

"Here's to a successful revolution." Klenon said as he passed around more rubber blocks. Vero and Qerean loaded them in their own weapons.

"Taero 3, this is Taero 1, we are approaching the LZ." another voice said on the radio.

"Be advised, Taero 1, LZ is a blind zone. We do not know anything about their current status. Stay cautious out there." the pilot said.

"Looks like I'm not the only one with military experience." Klenon commented.

"You haven't heard? When Maleko took charge, he imprisoned every single ESF officer and guard and replaced them with his own drones." Qerean said.

"She's right. He systematically took out every honest guard in the ESF. Almost every single Quarian in this has some degree of experience in law enforcement." Vero said.

"This turns into a war with every passing second." Klenon said.

"Taero 1 is under fire. Repeat, Taero 1 is under fire!" a voice shouted on the radio.

"Taero 1, can you identify the hostiles?" the pilot said.

"They're SAM sites. They're all over the place! One of our wings are clipped!" Taero 1 said.

"Taero 1, stabilize you altitude. We are almost there!" the pilot said.

"We can't! We are losing alti-"

"Taero 1? Taero 1, do you copy?" the pilot asked. No response.

"All air units be advised, the Enclave has multiple SAM emplacements. They are able to pick our birds out of the sky." the pilot said.

"Oh crap." Qerean said, leaning out of the helicopter.

"What?" Klenon asked.

"Dran, turn this thing! Turn!" she shouted. The helicopter took a sharp right and narrowly dodged several missiles.

"Where are these things coming from!" Dran shouted.

"More of them coming!" Qerean shouted.

"Ah crap, there's too many of them!" Dran shouted.

"Hold onto to something!" Qerean shouted. There was a sudden explosion on one of the helicopter's blades. All three quarians could see the embers from the explosions above.

Without warning, the chopper began to sway fractically, spinning in violent cirlces. Klenon and Vero grabbed the nearest thing that was bolted down. The violent motion of the chopper made all of the passengers lift into the air.

"This is Taero 2, we are going down. I repeat we are going-"

The chopper hit the concrete and bone-breaking force. Knocking everybody out of the chopper except for the pilot. All three landed on the floor, rolling across the floor and coming to a stop.

The fire from the chopper crash began to flood inside the building they were in. None of them were getting back up.

...

"There it is." a Quarian said peering over the roof of an apartment complex on the edge of the Enclave.

"That thing is far. How are we going to get over there?" another asked.

"Well, the facility is going to be locked down for sure, but i think we have a way of working around that." the other said.

"I can do it. I've done enough tech stuff to know how to break in there." Oflen said.

"Good, kid. We go in when the chaos ensues. We might be able to grab more firepower too."

"It's a good thing we didn't take the choppers. They all got shot down in a matter of seconds."

"We gotta keep pushing on. The others will be here soon.

...

Klenon woke up in a daze. The entire room was engulfed in a orange light. A few pieces of wood had fallen ontop of him with small burn marks.

In front of him were the remains of the chopper. The pilot was already dead; he crashed through the windshield and the entirety of it was ablaze.

Klenon grunted as he pushed the burnt wood off of him. He didn't know how long he had been knocked out. It was raining a little lighter than before. The waters hit the burning chopper, as if nature herself intended to put it out.

"Vero? Qerean? You guys here?" Klenon groaned. He sat up straight and looked around. He could hear the faint sound of gunfire. The attack had begun.

He spotted Qerean close to the wreckage and Vero next to him. Vero was the first to get up, groaning in pain.

"I'm getting too old for this." he muttered, getting to his feet. Klenon did the same and went to check on Qerean. She was still breathing, though lightly.

"Where the hell are we?" Vero asked.

"I don't know, but I think we may have crashed into someone's home." Klenon said, noticing the furniture. It all seemed eerily familiar.

"Wait a second." Klenon said, getting a better look on the home. He then turned to Vero and realized where they were.

"We just crashed into my house." Klenon said, crossing his arms.

"Well that sucks." Vero said. A thought suddenly entered Klenon's head, and it brought an immense amount of fear.

"Oh Keelah." he muttered. He began to walk towards the bedroom door at a brisk pace.

"What? What's wrong?" Vero asked. Klenon didn't answer, he just kept moving. He opened the door and looked inside. There was nobody there.

"She's not here." Klenon said, both relieved and disappointed.

"What the hell happened?" Qerean grumbled as she got up, shaking her head.

"We crashed, that's what happened. I don't remember the ESF having SAM missiles." Vero said.

"Must've been a special 'fuck you' from Maleko." Qerean said.

"How long were we out?" Vero asked. There was suddenly a loud crack, which caught everyone's attention.

"We can't stay in here long. We gotta get out before the whole building falls around us." Klenon said. He ran to the door and rammed it open. There was gunfire all around them. Vero and Qerean stopped outside, unsure where to go.

"We gotta keep heading to the research facility. Our boys may need our help." Vero said.

"No! Not yet. There is someone who can help us." Klenon said.

"Who?" Qerean questioned. Klenon began walking down the walkway, going two doors down. He hoped he was still in here.

Deciding that knocking wouldn't do any good, Klenon kicked the door open, and narrowly dodged a bullet. There was a turian hiding behind a sofa. When he got a good look at the intruder, he stood up.

"Klenon! Holy hell, what is going on? Where were you?" Rekko said as he lowered the gun.

"It's a long story. Where's Arenia?" Klenon asked.

"I don't know. I haven't seen her since you disappeared." Rekko said. Kelnon sighed in worry. He needed to know where she was. He needed to tell her the truth as soon as possible.

"Klenon, what the hell is going on? Rena and I woke up to explosions and gunfire!" Rekko said.

"Did you just say you were sleeping with Rena?" Klenon said. Rekko opened his mouth but hesistated to say something.

"That's not the point! What's going on?" Rekko questioned.

"Maleko framed and imprisoned me. What's worse is that Arenia believes him and I have to find her and tell her the truth." Klenon said.

"Crap. And you started all of this?" Rekko asked.

"Yes. I'm not losing to that bosh'tet that easily." Klenon said.

"Damn, Klenon, you really know how to rally the troops." Rekko smirked.

"I have to do what I have to do. For her." Klenon said.

"So Maleko did this to you? Are you sure? What would he have against you?" Rekko asked, putting his pistol on his belt.

"I found a datapad. He's been letting these things called the collectors kidnap our people." Klenon said.

"Collectors? They're real? I thought they were just a myth." Rekko said.

"Apparently they are very real. I fought them." Klenon said.

"Well no one screws with my friends. I'll help you out however I can." Rekko said.

"What about Rena?"

"Oh right."

Rekko walked to a door behind him and opened it.

"Rena? You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." a voice said inside the room. Klenon couldn't see her, but from the sound of her voice, she sounded frightened.

"Listen, you need to go back to your father. He'll protect you. I gotta go and get this mess sorted out." Rekko said in a gentle tone.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Just get to your father. I'm going to help finish all of this." Rekko assured. He held out his hand and the her familiar small hand entered it. Rekko pulled her up, revealing that she was visibly shaken.

"Go. I'll meet up with you when this is all over." Rekko said. Rena nodded and ran out, barely acknowledging Klenon as she did.

"I'm ready to go. Where _are_ we going?" Rekko asked.

"We're going to the research facility. Getting some things that we need from there." Klenon answered. He poked his head outside the door and surveyed the area around him. From what he could tell, the Quarians fighting around him were from the prison.

"I think we have the area secured. Here."

Klenon held out a rubber block to Rekko, who took it and loaded it into his gun without question.

"Let's go, Klenon. We got a lot of ground to cover!" Vero urged, already firing at the citizens below them. Klenon and Rekko began firing their weapons at the civilian, incapacitating him.

"Someone take him in. We got a lot of people to round up." Klenon ordered. A nearby Quarian picked up the injured civilian and dragged him away.

Klenon and Rekko ran into the battelfield. Civilans were shooting every weapon they had at them. All of the Quarians had taken cover to avoid the deadly hail.

"We are so screwed." Qerean said.

"We are going to need some help down here!" Vero shouted in the radio.

"Ground forces, this is Taero 4. I'll do what I can, but these things aren't equipped with rubber bullets." a voice replied.

"Do whatever you need to do. Just start scattering them!" Vero said.

"Copy that, Ground forces. ETA ten seconds."

A window on the top floor of a building next to them opened and a civilan popped out, firing his sniper and killing a nearby Quarian. Klenon fired his Revenant at the small window, leaving countless holes around it.

Hearing a small grunt and satisfied that he wasn't getting back up, Klenon turned his attention to the fortified position the civilians had across from them. The Quarians had no leverage to advance on them.

"Taero 4, where the hell are you! We can't hold this position forever!" Vero shouted.

"I'm already here."

A gunship came swooping in from above them, firing rounds around the civilians to scare them off.

"Ground forces, I recommend that you advance before the SAM sites get wind that I'm here." Taero 4 said.

"Copy that, Taero 4!" Vero said.

"Wherer the hell did you guys get gunships?" Rekko shouted.

"The prison was full of them. A little stupid in my opinion but I'm not complaining." Qerean said.

The gunship lifted off above the buildings and got shot by a rocket.

"Keelah! I'm hit! I'm going do-"

The gunship crashed into a nearby building, almost collapsing it.

"Holy shit!" Rekko exclaimed.

"Push through! Get to the research facility!" Vero commanded. The Quarians pushed through no man's land and reached the civilians fortifications.

The Quarians knocked out any remaining civilians and dragged them away.

"Vero? It's Irean, we just showed the first batch of Quarians the truth. They have agreed to fight by our side." a voice said on the radio.

"Good work, Irean. Proceed with you orders." Vero said.

"Understood, sir."

The Quarians leveled their weapons and proceeded to the research facility. Klenon and Rekko followed them.

The group were inside a cramped alleyway. There were no windows on the buildings so there was almost no chance for an ambush.

"The facility should be just around a couple more corners." Vero said. The sound of gunfire and explosions almost drowned out his voice.

"Good. I'm already getting tired of this." Rekko said, in an exaggerated tired tone.

"You need to work out more." Qerean joked.

"Don't need to. I'm too good for it." Rekko replied.

"Where did you find him?" Qerean whispered to Klenon.

"In a cell."

"How...nice." Qerean said.

The group made it out of the alley and saw that more Quarians were engaging civilians.

"Time to go, guys. Our boys need our help." Qerean said. The Quarians charged into the battlefield, firing at the unsuspecting civilians. They had put sandbags all around the research facility, trying their best to stop anyone from entering.

"This place is more fortified than I thought." Qerean said. It was as if the large stone complex were guarding a treasure so valuable that it was vital to protect it. In a sense, it was.

"How's team two going?" Klenon asked on the comms.

"Team two is meeting some pretty stiff resistance. Wait...it's Oflen. He wants to talk to you." a Quarian said.

"Klenon? Listen, there's several machine guns emplacements at the facility's windows. You need to alert everyone before...oh no."

Metal shutters slid open and large machine guns poked out, immediatly firing and killing a large amount of Quarians.

"They're tearing us to shreds out here!" Klenon shouted.

"We need to get inside fast before they kill us all!" Rekko shouted, firing his pistol at the gun emplacements.

"We can't. There is no way we can penetrate this thing with all of those civilians there!" Klenon said.

"We need some air support down here!" Vero shouted.

"All of our gunships are currently tied up in other parts of the Enclave. The best we can do is send support in ten minutes." a Quarian replied.

"We can't wait that long! Can't you do anything!" Vero asked with an incredible amount of impatience

"No. I'm sorry but we can't do anything!" the Quarian said.

"Damn it! We're screwed." Qerean shouted, gunning down a civilian.

"Vero, it's Irean, we have dispatched the civilians that are on our side. They are on you way in a gunship." he said.

"It's good to hear that. We need to take out the gun emplacements in the research facility." Vero said.

"They're on their way. Hold tight."

A gunship appeared from above them and flew over the facility. Ropes appeared from under them and Quarians slid down with one hand and a rifle in the other. One Quarian stopped just above a gun emplacement and jumped inside, kicking the gunner off.

A few bullets were fired and the machine gun began firing at the civilians below them. The other Quarians began to do the same, taking over the rest of the gun emplacements.

"We've taken the gun emplacements. Get over here now!" a Quarian said on the radio. Everyone did so and ran towards the facility. The doors, unfortunately, were locked.

"Damn, I remember that Maleko had to slide a keycard for the doors to open." Rekko said.

"Someone needs to hack this door open." Klenon said. A female Quarian kneeled next to it and began hacking the lock.

"Oflen, how are things going on your end?" Klenon asked.

"Some of the civilians are falling back. I think they know you're coming in." Oflen said.

"Try to stop them from getting here. Take out as many as you can." Klenon said.

"I'll try, but we don't have a lot of guys left." Oflen said worriedly.

The Quarian hacked the door and the scanner beeped with a green light. There was a small click that signaled that the lock had disengaged.

Klenon leveled his Revenant and opened the door. He immediatly closed it and bullets blew holes into the doors.

"They know we're here." he said.

"Here. Take this." Qerean said, handing him a smoke grenade. Klenon activated it and opened the door to a crack. He threw the grenade inside and heard a collective realization of what it was.

There was a small bang and the sound of the smoke being released could be heard. Klenon kicked the door open and fired into the thick fog. The Quarians poured inside jumping over desks that were used as cover and shooting the civilians.

"Where are those war droids?" Vero asked.

"They are in the bottom floor." Klenon recalled.

"The elevator can't fit everyone. Only a few people can fit in there at once." Qerean said, walking towards it.

"I'll go. I have an idea." Klenon said.

"I'll stay up here and coordinate our forces. We still got a lot of ground to take." Vero said, walking outside and prsseing his fingers against the comms button on his helmet.

Klenon, Rekko, Qerean, and some other Quarians walked inside the elevator. Kelnon pressed the button for the lowest floor and the elevator doors slid shut.

Quiet elevator music started play as everyone stood there in an awkward silence. Nobody said a word or even moved an inch.

"Why do elevators have music?" Klenon suddenly asked.

"I have no idea." Rekko replied.

The doors slowly slid open and a bullet went through, killing a Quarian next to Klenon. He fired his Revenant at the civilian, hitting him with five rubber bullets. They were inside the familiar hall that had display windows of several projects.

"Wait here." Klenon said, heading towards a specific window. Once he found it, he shot the glass until it broke and reached inside. He pulled out a pitch-black assault rifle. It was the Disciple Assault Rifle.

"I've been itching to try these since saw them." he said to himself.

"Rekko, you can have this." he said passing his Revenant to him. Klenon attached the Disciple Rifle onto his back and pulled out the sniper. He looked down the scope and, once he was satisfied with it, put it on his back aswell.

Grabbing the rest of the weapons, he turned his attention to another window. Specifically, the one that showed the biotic amps.

"Is there somewhere we can put one of these amps on me?" Klenon asked as he approached the glass.

"That door at the end of the hall. I remember the implant machine being there." Rekko said, point at the door at the end of the hall.

"Good."

Klenon fired the rifle at the glass. It completely shattered with one shot. Klenon whistled, impressed with the rifle's power.

He reached inside and grabbed a black box, which held the microscopic amp.

"Let's go inside. I want to see if these things really work." Klenon said.

...

"Vero, we have a problem." a Quarian said. Both of them were on the fifth floor next to a vacant gun emplacement.

"What is it?" Vero asked. The Quarian lowered her binoculars and replied.

"It looks like the civilians are going to try and take this place back. There are a lot of them forming around this facility."

"We got to hold them off until we get the droids online." Vero said. He walked over to the gun and loaded a rubber block into it.

"Give me their location and I'll take care of the rest." he said.

"Klenon, do you copy?" Vero said.

"Yeah, we are on our way to the war droids, but we needed to make a stop to get a better arsenal." Klenon replied.

"Whatever you are doing, make it fast. We got civilians trying to take the facility back. I'll hold them off for as long as I can, but I don't think we will be pushing our luck for long." Vero said.

"Got it, just hold them off for a few minutes for us to finish here and get the droids online." Klenon said.

"Vero, I see them on the horizon to the north." the Quarians said. Vero aimed through the scope of the gun and saw the civilians massing.

"I see them. Hold fire until I give the word." Vero said. The Quarian said the same thing in her radio, instructing all of the other Quarians in the gun emplacements.

"Everyone is waiting on your word, sir." the Quarian said.

Vero observed the mass. There was one Quarian in front of them who seemed to be giving orders.

"Can anyone get an I.D. on the Quarian in front of the civilians?" Vero asked. The Quarian gave the orders and within a few minutes came a reply.

"Sir...it's the captain of the guard. It's Trej'Oiren." she said.

"How perfect. I never got the chance to congratulate him. Might aswell do so now." There was a small amount of venom in his voice.

"All teams, ready your weapons. This'll get ugly before it's over." Vero said. He could hear all of the gun's being armed almost immediatly after his order.

Looking throught the gun's scope, he could see all of the civilians marching their way towards them.

"Stand by." he said. The civilians were now only four buildings away from the facility.

"Stand by."

The civilians were now two buildings away.

"Fire."

The machine guns unleashed a torrent of projectiles, quickly scattering and injuring a large amount of civilians. Vero, however, was more focused on shooting Trej, who was nowhere to be found.

_Coward._

"Vero, we have more coming from the east."

"Shift right." he ordered, doing so himself.

The rubber pellets hit their intended targets with calculated efficiency. Many civilians were badly hurt and lay on the ground motionless.

"This seems too easy. It's like they are literally letting us shoot them." a Quarian said. He brought up a good point, something didn't seem right.

"Be on guard for anything suspicious. I have no doubt that they are going to try something to outsmart us." Vero said. He then spotted a civilian on top of a building with a large gun in hand.

"We got a rocket launcher! Everyone get-"

Vero was blown from his gun, being lifted into the air and thrown across the room, hitting his back against the wall. The Quarian that was next to him was killed instantly after the blast, her body covered in suit punctures and scorch marks. Vero was lucky he was still breathing.

He felt something suddenly wrap around his neck, constricting his airway. Someone was strangling him.

"Vero'Palten. How nice to finally make your acquaintance." Trej said with with an invisible, arrogant grin.

"Trej'Oiren. Nice to see the ESF hasn't gone soft." Vero struggled to say.

"You are a criminal and you will be treated as such." Trej said with more seriousness.

"C'mon, kid. I know you don't really believe that. You're in on this whole thing too, aren't you?"

"I do whatever I have to do to make ends meet. You're lucky that we still even fed you." Trej said.

"Fed me? That crap might aswell been another form of torture."

"You should've enjoyed it while it lasted. Now the only thing your going to get is a bullet to the brain." Trej threatned, holding a pistol to Vero's visor.

"Even though you're 'captain' of the guard, you still have a lot to learn."

Vero jabbed his own pistol into Trej's chest.

"The old man still has some fight left in him. Good. I love watching someone like you squirm before I put them out of their misery."

"Don't get cocky, kid. I fought drunks more intimidating than you."

...

"There it is." Rekko said, pointing through an observation window at a white table lined with mechanical arms.

"I remeber this thing. I hadn't thought much about it though whe I saw it." Klenon said.

"How are we going to get in there?" Qerean asked, seeing no way of getting in. Klenon leveled his new rifle at the window with one hand a fired once. Like before, the glass shattered easily.

"Like that."

Klenon jumped throught the window and took the time to looke over the machine.

It was pure white with an identation of a body. There was a small pillow on one end and a slot to put the amp inside to it's side.

"If I remember right, this is going to hurt." Klenon griped. He pressed a glowing button next to the slot and a small tray popped out. Suddenly, shutters came down in front of the observation glass, cutting off everyone's view from Klenon. The room began to make the familiar hiss of a decon-cycle. Klenon opened the box and pulled out a small, thin container that held the amp and put it in the slot.

"Klenon, you there? What's going on?" Rekko asked on the radio.

"Putting on the amp is going to require me taking off my helmet. The room is being sterilized right now." Klenon explained.

"That's a let down. I was looking forward to seeing your face." Rekko joked. Klenon chuckled and laid down on the table, resting his head on the pillow. He took a deep breath before an automated voice began to talk.

"Test subject is ready. Resuming normal protocols and functions."

_Nice to know this thing is calling me a test subject._

"Activating function 231-2, installation of biotic amp number 392-M."

Three small, metal arms came out from above Klenon they began to periodically unlock the helmet's seals. It came loose and the arms pulled it off, revealing Klenon's face.

"Warning: Sudden movements may cause the installation to fail. For you own safety, do not make any sudden movements unless instructed."

Two larger arms on each side of the table began to move. One moved up to Klenon's head and scanned his face.

"Subject is currently wearing a biotic amp. New procedure to remove amp has been adopted."

_Here we go._

The same arm moved itself under Klenon chin and a large red light began to appear. Klenon gulped from nervousness when he saw it.

The metal arm began to shoot a small precision laser at Klenon's chin, slowly cutting his chin. A small amount of smoke came out from the contact point. Klenon silently wished the machine would hurry. The first time he did this, the pain was excruciating. It didn't hurt any less now. He was wincing

After what felt like hours, the laser finished cutting a small square under his chin. The other arm came up and removed the small patch of skin, revealing another layer of skin but with more blood visible.

The arm slowly moved into the new hole and a small, blue ray was fired, grabbing the amp. The arm gently tugged and the amp came loose. It quickly retreated and stored the amp inside a slot at the end of the table.

"Amp removed. Now inserting amp number 392-M."

The other arm reached into the slot where Klenon had place the new amp. It laid it on the table and used the same blue ray to grab the microscopic amp. It slowly moved towards Klenon and inserted it into his chin. It closed the loose skin that was cut off and retreated.

The other arm came up and used it's laser to reseal the skin. Klenon wished that they would have dulled the pain, but atleast it was almost over. The laser suddenly stopped and it retreated.

"Installation complete."

The machine put Klenon's helmet back on and closed it's seals. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Guys, it's done. I'm coming back." he said.

"Alright. We'll be waiting. Rekko said. Klenon sat up and felt dizzy. His brain was trying to reconfigure with the new amp, giving him a headache.

He got to his feet only to feel slightly nauseous. He shook it off as the shutters reopened.

"How do you feel?" Qerean asked.

"A little weird but that happens. It'll go away eventually." Klenon said as he hopped back into the hall.

"Attention. Unauthorized use of the biotic implant machine detected. In accordance with security protocols, the charges will now be activated."

"What?" Klenon said. Everyone heard a sudden beeping and couldn't believe that there were more explosives.

"Everyone get to the war droids! Mo-"

The charges detonated and the floor began to give way. Everyone bolted towards the door except for Klenon, who was quickly losing his balance.

"Oh Keelah!" he shouted as the floor gave way and he fell into a hole, landing on the cold wet ground beneath the facility. He grunted as he landed, trying to avoid any debris from falling ontop of him.

"Klenon! You okay?" Qerean asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. You guys keep going to the war droids. I'll try to find my way back to you or a way outside." he said.

"Be careful down there, Klenon. You're in the sewers. It's dark." Qerean warned

"Thanks for the tip."

**For the record, I know why elevators have music. Supposed to calm down people who are claustrophobic. A simple flat screen T.V. would've sufficed. Ferret out.**


	27. Chapter 27

**It's almost over. Yet it's not even close. When one is done, another will rise. So is the life of an author, huh?**

**Sergius: Is it the war? I can't possibly imagine what you think it is. :)**

**Mapped: You want MOAR, I want MOAR, we all want MOAR! :D**

Chapter 27: Our War

Vero kicked Trej off of him then sent a fist into his stomach, knocking the breath out of him. Both of their pistol's had fallen to the floor. Trej retaliated with an elbow to Vero's side, knocking him off balance. He then gave a vicious uppercut under Vero's helmet, threatning to break the helmet's seals.

Vero grabbed Trej's wrist and twisted it. He then kicked the back of his knee and Trej collapsed to his knees.

"I told you, you are a cocky bosh'tet." Vero said. Trej struggled to realease himself from Vero's grip. He looked ahead of him and saw his pistol on the floor. He grabbbed Vero's ankle and pulled it right from under him, forcing Vero fall to the floor.

Trej desperately crawled towards the pistol. Once it was within reach, he dove for it.

Vero's foot came down on Trej's hand just before he could grab the pistol. Vero stomped on his hand multiple times, but Trej wouldn't stop trying to reach the gun.

Ignoring the pain, Trej grabbed Vero's foot and pushed it away, temporarily knocking Vero off balance. Trej grabbed the gun and aimed it at Vero, panting heavily.

"I won, old man. I always win." Trej bragged. An alarm suddenly sounded illuminating the room in a red light.

"Warning: experimental 3M81 droids have been released without authorization. Security teams have been notified. For your safety, remain in your workspace until further notice."

Taking his chance, Vero quickly ran up to Trej and slapped the gun out of his hand then grabbed him by the throat. He pushed Trej towards a nearby window and held him threatningly over the ledge.

"This is going to happen, bosh'tet. Whether you want it to or not." Vero said. Trej looked straight into Vero's eyes and muttered.

"Fuck you."

A sniper round suddenly whizzed past Trej and hit Vero in the shoulder. He instantly let go of Trej and grabbed his shoulder in pain. Trej was about to grab his gun until a door opened in front of him.

A droid that looked simliar to the geth minus the head flaps walked in with a rifle in hand. Once it saw Trej, the flashlight head turned red and it leveled it's gun.

"Intruder, you are not authorized in this area. Code Omega is in effect. Non-lethal takedown." it said, firing it's rifle. One rubber bullet hit Trej in the arm, but he shook it off and ran to his left, into another room. The droid ran after him.

"Qerean, did you get the droids online?" Vero asked into the radio, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, we're fleshing out as many as we can. We lost Klenon because of some trap the civilians must've placed. He's in the sewers." she replied.

"Tell him to be careful." Vero grunted while looking at his wound. The bullet had lodged itself beneath his muscle. "I'm going to need a medic. Damn snipers."

...

Trej ran through every single room, trying his best to avoid the droid shooting behind him.

"Alpha squad, I need an evac now. This area is lost." he said in his radio.

"Understood sir."

He ran into another room and abruptly stopped. He closed the door behind him and held it shut, preventing the droid from entering.

A large explosion suddenly tore through the wall. A gunship was floating outside, waiting for him.

Letting go of the door, he ran towards the gunship and jumped into it. It lifted off and flew away.

"Destination sir?" the pilot asked. Trej walked up next to him and swiftly said

"Get to the Admin building. I know they're heading there and I'm going to wait for them."

...

More and more droids walked out of the large bulkhead door. All of them looked like the geth and had shiny white armor. Quarians were handing them weapons loaded with rubber bullets and specified on their job.

"Klenon, you there?" Qerean asked.

"I'm here. Still trying to navigate these sewers. How are things going on your end?" he replied.

"The droids are online. There are more than we suspected, but it's not going to help much." she admitted.

"That's why we need to rely on the civilians we round up. That's the only way we can win this." Klenon said.

"How are things holding up for you? Have you run into any trouble yet?" Qerean asked.

"I've been down here for about ten minutes and I don't think I'm even close to an exit." Klenon said.

"Be careful. Keelah knows what's lurking around the corner." Qerean said.

Klenon surveyed his surroundings. He was in shin-high water and in a semi-circle shaped tunnel that split off into two directions. Taking his chances, he moved to the left, using the biotic glow from his arm to light the way.

The sewers were quiet. Aside from the gun fights above him, along with the rain and the subtle _sloshing _sound his feet made in the water, there was no noise that could be heard.

He reached a ledge that had a long fall. The water cascaded down into a waterfall and the bottom was filled with water. On the wall was a locked door, but Klenon was sure that he could hack it.

Before he could jump down, he heard splashing behind him. He turned around and scanned the area but there wasn't anybody there. He shook his head then turned around again. The splashing sound came back.

Klenon took out his rifle with one hand and aimed it down the tunnel. There was nothing there.

_Just imagining things. Or there really is something here._

Klenon turned around for only a second before he was pushed off of the ledge and fell into the water below.

He quickly tried to swin back up, thanking Keelah that he was able to breath through his enviro-suit. He reached the surface of the water and 'swam' haphazardly to the door. He opened it and pulled himself up onto the concrete floor. He sat down and looked up at the ledge from where he was thrown off, breathing heavily from the sudden surprise.

There was nothing there. Whatever had thrown him off the ledge was long gone, but the weird thing was, he was pushed by what felt like claws.

Klenon shook his head and stood up, he wasn't going to get anywhere if he just sat around.

_I really need to start listening to my gut from now on. _

"Vero, how are things coming along?" he asked in his radio.

...

"Things could be better." he said. A medic finished patching up his shoulder and he stood up.

"Trej was here a few minutes ago, but he ran off before we could snag him." Vero said. There was a long pause. Vero assumed that Klenon had held a personal grudge against him and was disappointed that he got away.

"We'll get him soon enough. Were you able to hold off the civilians?" he asked. There was a sudden explosion above Vero.

"Somewhat."

"You need to get out of there. Eventually, the entire population will come after you and you won't be able to hold out then." Klenon said.

"Well where are we supposed to go?" Vero asked. There was a long silence until Klenon spoke.

"If there is another armory around here, you need to take it. We can benefit from any arms or armor we can take."

"Alright. I'll let Qerean and Rekko finish programming the rest of the droids. I'll call for evac and get the men moving towards the nearest armory." Vero said, looking out the window and seeing quarians taking care of what was left of the civilians.

"Stay safe, Vero. Keelah se'lai."

Vero stood up and looked towards the soldiers in the room.

"Listen up guys, I'm calling for an evac. The droids can handle things from here." he said.

"Where are we going?" a quarian asked.

"The nearest armory." Vero answered. He activated his comms.

"Taero 7, we need an evac in the research facility." he said.

"Roger that, Vero. We're on our way."

...

Klenon jumped into a shallow pool of water. There was another corridor with murky water and the quiet dripping of it.

He had not seen anything else since he was pushed off the ledge, but he knew something was following him. He brought up his rifle in one hand and illuminated the area around him with the other.

Like before, there was nothing, making Klenon more anxious. He then heard more splashing ahead of him, and it was coming right at him.

He aimed down the rifle's sights and awaited for anything to walk into his biotic's light. Just then, a scaly paw entered the light. It had long sharp claws and the alleged beast began to growl.

Klenon's arm began to glow brighter, revealing what the beast was.

It was a varren. The creature's menacing eye's met Klenon's and it began to growl more dangerously.

"Well aren't you adorable." Klenon muttered. The varren stepped closer and barked at him. It got down into a pouncing postion and growled more. Saliva dripped from it's gaping maw.

Klenon slowly put his rifle onto his back and put his hand on his shotgun.

"Easy, boy, no need to get violent." Klenon said. He knew all too well how ferocious and dangerous varren can be; especially to quarians. It moved closer, only being a few feet away from Klenon.

"You do what you want, just be sure to know what might happen." Klenon warned. The varren ignored him and stepped closer. It got up on it's hind legs and clawed the air.

"I'm betting you were the one who pushed me off the ledge, weren't you?"

Klenon then noticed something on the varren's side. There was a brand that resembled the Enclave insignia.

"You're with the ESF? Didn't know they would use animals like you." he said in a half-insult. The varren got down onto four feet and looked at him curiously.

"Did I hit a nerve?"

The varren sat down and cocked it's head to the side. Klenon loosened his grip on his shotgun, but didn't let go of it.

"Are you going to get mad?" he asked it. It laid down and began to pant.

"Guess you're friendly after all." Klenon let go of his shotgun and stepped closer, still wary about the unperdictable animal. He cautiously stopped in front of the varren and knelt down in front of it. Klenon then heard more growls and barks from behind the varren.

It turned it's head around then looked back at Klenon. It got up and looked through the darkness.

More varren began to show up, but they all looked more unfriendly than the other one. Their teeth were stained with blood and several of them had scars. One in particular had spines on it's back. Klenon assumed it was their leader.

_This isn't going to be good._

The leader barked at Klenon then showed its sharp teeth. The varren Klenon met before walked behind him and whimpered.

"I assume you're scared of this guy." Klenon said, taking out his shotgun. The alpha varren got into a pouncing position.

"Tell you what, I take care of him and you come with me. Deal?"

The alpha varren charged at Klenon and jumped right at him. Klenon stuck his shotgun inside it's open mouth and fired, ripping throught the alpha varren's inside and launching it backwards. The dead alpha varren hit other ones and landed on the ground. It didn't get back up; Klenon expected as much.

The other varren ran right at Klenon, barking and growling. Klenon fired shell after shell hitting every almost every single one that got too close.

Klenon killed one more until the last one jumped at him. Klenon couldn't aim before he was knocked to the ground with the vicious varren right on top of him. It opened it's mouth wide and aimed for his neck.

Klenon grabbed the varren's mouth and tried to force it back, but the beast was too strong. It's large, sharp teeth came closer and closer to Klenon's neck.

The varren was suddenly tackeld by the other one. They both rolled around on the ground, clawing and biting each other. Klenon got to his feet and grabbed his shotgun from the floor. He took careful aim, trying not to hit the friendly varren.

"You so owe me for this."

Klenon fired and the pellets ripped through the varren's flesh, catapulting him down the corridor. The last one stood up and quietly whimpered.

"Calm down. Let me take a look." Klenon said, kneeling next to it. The varren had a few scratches and bruises, but he was fine.

"You're okay. C'mon, got to go help out other people. it's the least you can do." Klenon said. He looked around and noticed that all of the dead varren had the same brand on their sides.

"Vero, you there?" he asked in his comms, walking down the corridor, the varren following him.

"Yeah, we're on our way to the armory." he replied.

"Good. listen, I think the ESF are using varren. I just found a pack of them here in the sewers." Klenon said.

"You did? Those bosh'tets. We never used varren when I was captain of the guard." Vero muttered.

"I did find one that was"

Klenon looked back at the varren who was following him.

"rather friendly."

"Guess he took a liking to you. The sooner you get out of those sewers, the better. We need every hand in this. I'm sure that varren pet of your's can help out a little too." Vero said.

...

"I'm going as fast as I can. These sewers seem to be endless." Klenon said.

"Their layout can get confusing. If you find any maintenance doors around there, use them. They'll usually lead you out." Vero advised.

"I'll do that. I'll contact you when I'm out." Klenon said.

Vero looked outside the chopper he was in. The city was in nothing short of chaos. There were numerous amounts of burning buildings and quarians were fighting in every street. Several buildings had even collapsed under the amount of damage. If the war was ever won, it would take a long time for the Enclave to recover.

"Sir, there are a large number of guard towers at the armory." a quarian said, looking outside.

"We're going to have to flush them out. Pilot, get us close." Vero said, getting up.

"Sir, be advised, these are ESF guards, not civilians. We can use live rounds against them." the pilot suggested.

"That's what I was hoping for."

Vero unhooked a compartment on the chopper's ceiling and a heavy machine gun fell down. Behind him, the other quarian did the same.

"Take us around the south side." Vero said. The chopper swooped around the armory and stopped behind it.

"Engage."

Vero fired the machine gun, raining a torrent of bullets below them. The guards on the tower fired the rifles at the chopper but it deflected most of the rounds. Vero fired at the towers and ripped them to shreds, ensuring no chance of survival.

"Sir, we have missle threats on the north side of the armory." the pilot informed. Vero shifted his aim at the towers and pelted them. The other quarian was firing their gun at the fleeing guards, mowing them down mercilessly.

"Sir, we have a large unidentified armored vehicle coming in from the north."

Vero turned his head towards it's direction and saw an APC charge in through the gates. Vero pelted it with bullets but it didn't even make a dent in it.

"Bosh'tet!" Vero cursed as he continued to fire at the APC. A quarian suddenly appeared above it and armed a large gun. He aimed it at the chopper and fired a swarm of missles.

"Evade! Evade!" Vero shouted. The chopper narrowly dodged the missles. The gunner continued to fire missles, but the chopper kept evading them.

"Sir, I can't dodge this guy forever. You need to take him out!" the pilot urged. Vero just kept shooting the APC but it was futile, the APC's armor was too thick.

"Vero, the guards you killed in the towers, they had a rocket launcher!" the quarian gunner said.

"Pilot, get me close to the tower!" Vero ordered.

"That's impossible. I can't get that close without get shot down!" the pilot said.

"Just do it!" Vero shouted.

The pilot groaned reluctantly hovered closer to the tower and Vero jumped onto the roof of the guard tower. The chopper immediatly lifted off, narrowly dodging a few missles.

Vero jumped inside the tower and saw two dead quarians. Between them was the rocket launcher. He hastily grabbed it and checked the ammo. One rocket, good enough.

"Vero, get out of there!" the pilot shouted. Vero looked up and saw four missles heading straight for the tower. He ran the opposite direction, trying to jump off the tower.

The missles connected with the tower, erupting in a fireball and launching Vero forward. He was thrown off from the tower and hit the ground.

...

"What is it boy?" Klenon asked the varren to which he named Rivo. He was constantly looking behind him as if something was following them.

Rivo was making a quiet whimpering noise as if he was nervous about something. Everytime Klenon went to see what was wrong, there was nothing. It couldn't have been more varren because they would have attacked by now.

"There's nothing wrong, boy." Klenon said. The varren stared off into the darkness and continued walking, his head down.

They continued to walk down a long tunnel. They could here everything above them. The fightning, the the explosions, and the weather. Rivo began to whimper again, but more intensly this time.

"Rivo, there is nothing wrong. You're seeing nothing but-"

He suddenly heard what sounded like water rushing. He turned around and saw what had scared Rivo. A giant wave of water was rushing at them.

"Okay you were right. Run, Rivo! Run!"

Klenon broke into a full sprint, Rivo following close behind. The rush of water was getting closer and closer. The loud splashing of their feet were gettting drowned out by the noise of the unstoppable wave.

Klenon rounded a corner and kept running. He didn't know if Rivo was still running or he was lost in the wave. He didn't want to look back to find out.

He could feel the water just barely hitting the heels of his boots. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't outrun it. He knew by now, that Rivo was gone, but when? he didn't hear anything from him.

Klenon was sweeped off his feet and fell into the monster wave. He quickly couldn't see anything and he was carried away, not knowing if he was being sent to death's doorstep.

...

Vero slowly opened his eyes. The APC was right in front of him, still shooting at the helicopter. He looked around and saw the rocket launcher to his right, out of arm's reach. He turned onto his stomach and crawled towards the launcher.

He got closer and closer to the launcher. Once it was in arm's reach he grabbed it and aimed at the APC. The holographic sights came up and Vero aimed the crosshair perfectly on the APC.

He pulled the trigger and the next thing he knew, the APC was on fire, leaving no survivors. The launcher fell from his hands and he tried to get up. A purple glove grabbed his wrist and pulled him to his feet.

"Get up, Vero. You're not getting out of this that easily." Qerean said. There were quarians all around them, flooding the armory to grab anything of use.

"How are things holding up?" Vero asked tiredly.

"We managed to take about thrity percent of the Enclave. But if everything goes as planned, we won't need to carry this on for much longer." Qerean said.

"Why?"

"The Admin building is close by. And that means that Maleko is too." she said with a small hint of joy in her tone.

"And once we get to that bastard, we can string him up and get this place into working order again." Rekko added, walking up to the two of them.

"Then one final push is all that remains." Vero said. He looked around and saw numerous quarians gathering weapons and heading out into the city. Their own choppers were in the sky raining down fire on civilian strongholds.

"Has anyone heard from Klenon. I haven't." Vero asked. Qerean brought up her omni-tool and tried to contact him.

"Damn, I'm not getting a signal from him. The sewers must be interfering with our comms." Qerean said.

"He'll be fine. He's always taking care of himself." Rekko said. All three of them watched the quarians mobilizing. It was an organized army. One goal and the means to accomplish it.

"I really hope I get to be the one to put a bullet into Maleko's brain." Qerean said, pulling out her pistol.

"Get in line. We all have a score to settle with him." Rekko said.

"This is getting close. The end...it's going to come before we even know it." Vero said.

_And it'll be with a bang._

...

Klenon fell on something hard, but he didn't know what it was. His visor was covered in grime and other filth from the sewers. He was amazed that it hadn't began to leak. Sitting up, he wiped off the residue from his visor and saw that he was outside a water treatment facility, in a vat that was filling up. he then heard another loud _thud _and saw that Rivo had fallen next to him.

Besides being shaken physically, the varren was still okay. Klenon got to his feet and headed towards a ladder. He grabbed it and began to climb up, leaving the varren behind. Once he reached the catwalk that connected to the vat, he turned around and lifted the varren biotically. The varren landed on his feet and panted, sitting down next to him.

Klenon looked at the Enclave and was astounded at the sight. The rain had stopped and the sun was setting just above the horizon. Pillars of smoke emanated from the war-torn city. Choppers were flying above it, either just flying away or fighting an unkown threat.

The war wasn't won yet. As long as Maleko lives, it'll never be over. Klenon pulled out his sniper and stared at the vista one more time. It was hard to believe they had come this far. He knew that he wouldn't have gotten this far without some help.

He intended to repay their loyalty. One way or another. He already knew how, but in due time.

Once he had Maleko in his sights, he would end his life without hesitation.

No matter who stood in his way.

**I imagine about 4 million quarians in his way. Getting past a certain person is going to be...difficult.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I really do. A number of things did get in the way but I'm sure the longetivity of this chapter will make up for it. I'm not going to respond to reviews because I know you guys would rather read this. So enjoy.**

Chapter 28: Our Revolution

Klenon's radio crackled to life, hearing a mix of different voices that made it almost impossible to understand what they were saying. They all spoke one common message: advance towards the admin building and finish off Maleko once and for all.

"You ready to go?" Klenon asked Rivo. The varren sat down and panted in response. The two walked down the catwalk and down some stairs. They reached a door only to find that it was locked and the circuits were fried.

"People just love doing things the hard way." Klenon muttered. He pressed his helmet against the door and heard muffled voices. Since they were nowhere near their occupied territory, Klenon knew they were the enemy.

"Atleast I'll be able to try out my biotics more extensively now." Klenon said to Rivo, who got into a pouncing position. Klenon concentrated his newfound power into his palm and a pulsing orb of dark energy formed. It seemed more unstable than before, but Klenon wasn't complaining.

Klenon back away from the door and grew the biotic energy in both palms. His hands slightly shook from the intensity of the energy. Rivo hid behind him while Klenon pulled his hands back.

_Best way to knock ever._

Klenon let loose the energy and the pulsing sphere hit the door with immense and umimaginable force. Not only was the door blown off, but also the wall around it. The door and the stone were blown into the building, crushing anyone unfortunate enough to be in it's way.

Klenon pulled out his shotgun and walked up to get a better view of his handiwork. He walked into the small bunker and there were two corpses, both of them were half-buried under the rubble.

An injured quarian got up but Klenon shot him before he could even think about pulling the trigger. Rivo walked inside and ran towards a door, growling.

Klenon moved towards it and kicked it open, quickly shooting two vulnerable quarians. Rivo jumped out and pounced onto another, clawing off his suit.

Two more quarians hid behind tables and fired at Klenon. He fired his shotgun at the closest table and the pellets ripped off a chunk of the table. He picked it up biotically and threw the table at the other quarian knocking him out of cover and into a wall. Klenon brought up his shotgun and fired one well placed shot at the quarian's head.

Now that the room was clear, Klenon headed towards a door in the corner of the room. Walking through it, Klenon was mildly surprised to see eight quarians, all armed and aiming their weapons at him from various points in the room.

_Guess I should've been a little quieter._

Klenon held out his shotgun from the barrel, handle pointing towards the quarians. It looked as if he were surrendering. one of the guards began to move towards Klenon to take the gun. Rivo suddenly came from nowhere and attacked a nearby quarian. All of them aimed their guns at the varren.

Klenon _pushed _the nearest quarian into another one and flipped his shotgun around, shooting it with one hand and killing another quarian. He then threw the shotgun at a quarian next to him, who caught it.

Klenon laid several punches on the quarian's chest then roundhouse kicked him onto the floor. He pulled out his knife and threw it at the back of a quarian that was about to shoot Rivo.

He pulled it back biotically, just in time to block another quarian with a knife. Klenon pushed the quarian away and attacked, slicing dowards. The quarian deflected the attack and thrusted his knife forward.

Klenon grabbed the quarian's wrist and stabbed him in the chest. The quarian grabbed Klenon's hand in pain. He took the knife from the quarian's hand and stabbed him a second time.

Klenon looked back to see Rivo attacking another quarian, puncturing his suit several times. Looking back, Klenon grabbed his knife's hilt and kicked the quarian in the chest, releasing his knife from the corpse that fell to the floor.

His biotic barrier deflected a few bullets, catching his attention. He turned around and saw a quarian shooting at him from the opposite side of the room.

Klenon surrounded the quarian with biotic energy and pulled him towards him. Once the quarian was ten feet from him, Klenon pushed him back at the wall, hitting it with hurricane force and ensuring his death.

Rivo had finished killing another quarian, leaving one more. Klenon turned to find him and was hit in the head by the butt of the the quarian's gun. Klenon fell to the floor and was staring at the barrel of an assault rifle.

Klenon's shotgun began to glow blue and flew into his hand. He lifted it up swiftly and fired, blowing the quarian into the air and onto the floor, dead.

He got up and folded the shotgun in his hands. Rivo stopped next to him and laid down on his back, panting.

"You're a lovable thing, you know that?" Klenon said rubbing Rivo's stomach. He put his shotgun onto his lower back and reached up to his helmet's comms.

"Vero? Qerean? Is anyone there?" he asked. There was a few moments of static before someone picked up.

"Klenon, it's Vero, we're on our way to the admin building. Meet up with us there."

"I'm going to need some help getting there though. It'll take me awhile to get there on foot." Klenon replied.

"We'll do what we can to send transportation to you, but everyone's already moving to the objective." Vero said.

"Any help would be appreciated. I'm at a water treament plant." Klenon said as he walked into an empty room. There was a period of silence until Vero soon responded.

"I think we can send one chopper with you, but if you get shot down, you're on your own." Vero warned.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Klenon opened one last door and the orange hue from the sun spilled inside. He stepped onto the wet grass and scanned the area.

All of the buildings around him were a short way from being destroyed. In a matter of hours, the city turned into ruins.

Klenon saw a small glint in the corner of his eye and dodged just before a bullet would enter his skull. He fell to the ground and aimed his rifle and the general area of the shot. He couldn't see anything. Rivo, knowing that there was an enemy he couldn't face, fled back into the water treatment plant.

Grunting, Klenon got back up and aimed his gun at the top of every building, searching for the sniper. He felt a sudden rush of air to his right, evidence of another bullet being fired, but no sound was heard. The sniper was using a silencer.

Klenon pulled out his sniper and aimed down the scope, hoping to find the sniper before he had another shot on him. Peering through the scope, he could see numerous places where the sniper could've been hiding, but he wasn't there.

Klenon then saw something on the side of his scope. There were three buttons on it. Pressing one, Klenon's scope switched into night-vision.

_Handy little thing._

Another bullet whizzed by, scraping his armored glove. Klenon dived next a fallen stone pillar to use as cover. He pressed another button and the scope switched to thermal-vision.

_Good enough._

He popped up from the pillar and aimed down the scope. Most of the buildings were yellow and orange from the fires or the explosions that had erupted within them. One thing in particular caught Klenon's eye.

There was a figure that looked very much like a quarian with a red and orange signature on a building to his left. It looked like the quarian was loading another shot.

"You're lucky you're a civilian." Klenon whispered. He loaded a rubber block into his sniper and fired one round. The quarian instantly fell to the floor and wasn't making an attempt to get back up.

Klenon stood up and attached his sniper to his back. His radio crackled to life.

"Klenon, the chopper is on it's way. Once you get here, we can assault the admin building. From what our scouts have told us, it's more heavily guarded than any other area. Getting past everyone won't be easy." Vero said.

"Would you rather have nobody there?" Klenon asked rhetorically.

"It's a cold comfort, right?" Vero said.

"That's the only kind of comfort in war. I'll be waiting at the entrance to the facility." Klenon said.

"Got it."

Rivo walked out of building and stopped next to him, sitting down. Klenon patted his head and looked towards the sky for any sign of a gunship.

_Maleko isn't going to get away with this._

...

"Twenty hostiles. Automatic weapons with a pistol as a secondary." Qerean said as she looked through her binoculars. Rekko and her were ontop of an aparment complex that was a few blocks away from the admin building.

"Vero, there's twenty of them at the entrance. The entrance itself is heavily fortified and guarded." Rekko said in his radio.

"A little lighter than I expected. Either they're running out of men or they're hiding inside." Vero replied.

"I doubt the first option is true. Most of the quarians are fighting in what territory they have left. But I'm sure there's more than forty quarians in there." Qerean said.

"Exactly. They're going to protect their administrator, so they're going to try to push their way here and reinforce their numbers." Vero said.

"Which is why we need to attack now so they don't get a chance to." Qerean said.

"There's no civilians around here. We'll be able to use live rounds" Rekko noted.

"That's a little strange. Looks like Maleko only trusts his lapdogs now." Qerean said.

"He may have caught wind of what we're doing. He may have lost trust in the civilians, thinking that any of them could betray him because they know what he's been doing." Vero speculated.

"Well, that's a pretty fatal mistake on his part." Qerean said.

"A mistake that could end all of this in a matter of hours. Hopefully." Vero said.

"Once Klenon gets here, we can do that. We'll be able to cause much more damage with him around." Rekko said.

"When he does, we can start with the plan. We're going to have a small amount of quarians attack the front; draw their attention there. While they're distracted, We'll have quarians come in from the sides and have them fight on three fronts." Vero said.

"And once the guards are gone?" Rekko asked.

"Then we go inside and take care of any resistance. Once everyone is killed or captured, the administrator is as good as ours." Vero said.

"Then we take turns torturing him." Qerean chuckled.

"Before we can get to that, are we sure that they don't have any surprises waiting for us when we get in there?" Rekko asked.

"I can't say for sure. I'm not even sure if they have anything waiting for us out _here_." Vero replied.

"This is a big risk. We may be walking into a trap." Rekko said.

"He's kind of right, Vero. This is the administrator we're talking about. The leader of the Enclave, the guy who's kept it running for twenty years without a hitch. You can bet that if they had any big guns or fancy equipment, they'd use it here more than anywhere else." Qerean said.

"Well it's a risk we have to take if we want to get our hands on Maleko." Vero said.

"You guys there?" Klenon asked.

"We read you, man. When are you going to get here? Everyone's itching to end this." Rekko replied.

"I'm already on the chopper and on the way there. Can't you start this whole thing without me?" Klenon asked.

"We could but we'd much rather have you around to take care of the heavier stuff." Vero said.

"I always have to do the hard things. Look, just start the assault. I'll be there in a few minutes." Klenon said.

"We'll try to do something, but we're going in blind." Vero said.

"Just keep yourself alive. Besides, we've gotten this far, we can go a few more inches." Klenon said, cutting the line.

"So? Do we go in or not?" Rekko asked. Vero hesitated then answered.

"Go in. I'll send the men I have and meet you guys there." Vero said, cutting his line.

"Well, let's do this." Qerean said.

"Time to kick ass." Rekko said. Qerean put away her binoculars and pulled her sniper rifle off her back, aiming down the scope.

"Alpha, do you copy?" Qerean asked.

"We copy. Targets are in our sights and we're ready to pull the trigger whenever you are." a quarian replied.

"Beta?"

Everything's quiet here. There's a few more guards in the back, but nothing we can't handle." came the reply.

"I'm actually surprised none of our men tried to attack here before." Rekko commented.

"Some probably did, but they didn't know what they were getting into." Qerean replied. She put her crosshair right on the head of a quarian.

"Once the shots are fired, the rest of the teams will go in and attack." she said, tapping the trigger. She was just about to pull the trigger until the doors of the admin building opened.

"Hold your fire, something's going on." she said. Two quarians walked out with a metal tube and stand in their hands.

"What the hell is that?" Rekko asked.

"I don't know. Looks dangerous." Qerean replied. She closely watched as they set the components on the ground and began assembling them.

"Echo! You got to get off the roof now!" a quarian said on the radio. Qerean and Rekko looked up and saw a projectile heading straight for them.

"Oh shit!" Rekko shouted as he got up. Both he and Qerean ran away from the projectile and jumped off of the roof, hitting the ground hard. Almost instantly, the roof of the apartment complex bursted into flames. Debris and rubble fell all around them.

"Looks like they know we're here." Rekko said, getting up.

"Squads, be advised, these bosh'tets have mortars. Everyone on a roof has to get off now before you're used as target practice." Qerean said. Another explosion erupted nearby.

"Everyone, start the assault now! We've been spotted!" Qerean said. Quarians began to come out from abandoned homes and from dark alleys, shooting their weapons at the guards. The ones at the entrance hid behind some sandbags they had placed and returned fire.

Windows from other buildings were opened and quarians unleashed a hail of gunfire. The guards were able to hold their ground as they killed quarians with calculated efficiency. Another mortar was fired and it impacted in a large group of quarians, killing them all.

Sniper fire began to hit guards from other buidings. Most rounds entered a quarian's skull. Signs of expert marksmen. More quarians ran in through the alleys, suppressing the guards and lowering their numbers.

A few quarians that were advancing were killed, but most had kept their distance, using the buildings surrounding them to their advantage. The guards realized that they were horribly out numbered and radioed for reinforcements.

Rekko aimed his pistol and shot the quarian asking for help in the head. He quickly hid behind a nearby wall before he was hit by a multitude of bullets.

"Klenon, our cover is blown. They have mortars and shot us off of our post." Qerean said.

"You guys okay?" he asked.

"We're fine, but these mortars can cause some problems for us." she replied.

"I'll take care of them as soon as I touch down, which should be in a couple of minutes." Klenon said.

"We'll be waiting."

Rekko pulled out his Revenant and fired awkwardly at the entrenched guards.

"Do you not know how to use that thing?" Qerean asked as she shot a guard that turned the corner.

"This thing is a freaking beast. It's hard to control it!" Rekko defended.

"Are you just making up excuses?" Qerean questioned, firing her rifle into well-aimed bursts at more guards that were flooding the entrance. A grenade went off next to them and Qerean was almost hit by the heated shrapnel.

"No! This gun makes other ones look like pea shooters!" Rekko said, dropping it and pulling out his pistol again. He fired three rounds, all of which hit the sandbags on the stairs.

"You are making excuses." Qerean teased, killing the guard that Rekko was aiming for.

"Hey, you've done this longer than I have!" Rekko said. He fired more rounds and killed a guard that barely exited the building. A mortar round came down from the sky and hit a building nearby, killing atleast five quarians.

"Klenon, where the hell are you?" Qerean shouted.

"Already here."

A gunship flew over their heads and stopped above the admin buildings entrance. Klenon jumped out and landed behind the guards. One of them noticed him land, but before he could do anything, Klenon threw him biotically at another guard, snapping both of their necks.

Klenon pulled out his assault rifle and shot a mortar gunner. Other guards began to fire their guns at him, but his biotic barrier deflected the shots.

He ran and slid next to the mortar and turned it's direction towards a guard just before it fired. The large explosive hit the quarian in the gut and the sheer force caused the quarian's spine to shatter.

Klenon picked up the mortar biotically and threw it another guard, smashing his visor and fracturing his skull.

The other quarians had mixed reactions from the biotic shock trooper. Most focused their fire at either him or the quarians all around them. The rest had given up and surrendered or ran back inside the admin building.

One quarian in particular sneaked up from behind Klenon, aiming the barrel of his gun at the back of his head.

"Klenon, behind you!" Rekko shouted. A large mass suddenly landed on the quarian behind Klenon, ripping away shreds of his armor and suit. It took a second for Rekko and Qerean to realize that it was a varren.

Rivo jumped off of the guard and bit another one in the leg. Klenon turned to the quarian and punched him in the visor, shattering it. The momentum turned Klenon around as he pulled out his pistol. Fully turned, he fired one round at the last guard's head.

"The way is clear. C'mon, we still got work to do." Qerean said, jogging ahead. Rekko holstered his pistol and motioned everyone to follow him. Qerean and Rekko almost made it to Klenon before they heard a loud _boom _sound.

"What the hell was that?" Rekko inquired as he pulled out his pistol again. A large APC crashed through a building and aimed it's missles and the three of them.

"Just what we needed." Klenon said darkly. The monstrous machine began to fire a machine gun from it's underside, almost hitting Rekko.

"You guys get inside! I'll deal with this thing." Klenon shouted as he dodged a hail of bullets. Everyone, including Rivo, ran inside the admin building, meeting firm resistance.

"Just you and me now." Klenon muttered as the APC looked towards him as if it had a mind of it's own. The APC fired another cluster of bullets which Klenon easily avoided. He pulled out his shotgun and fired round after round, barely making a dent in the APC's thick armor.

Retaliating, the APC charged forward, intending to run Klenon over. Klenon ran towards it, showing no signs of stopping. Once they were seven feet from each other, Klenon jumped up onto the APC and grabbed a handle for support.

"Rekko, might need some help here!" Klenon shouted. Rekko ran out a few seconds later.

"Need me to take it down?" he asked.

"No, I just need you to give me a mine." Klenon said as he struggled to keep his grip on the handle. Rekko seemed a little let down from not being able to help, but he reached into his pocket and pulled out a tech mine.

He threw it and Klenon grabbed it with an outstretched hand and jumped off of the APC, landing in front of it.

"You can go back in, Rekko. They need you in there more than here." Klenon said, staring down the APC. Rekko did so, leaving Klenon and the APC alone once again.

"Come on, tin can. I'm standing right here." Klenon taunted. A gun suddenly appeared above the APC and fired five missles, catching Klenon by surprise.

He dropped the tech mine and held out both of his hands. A biotic aura surrounded the group of missles, stopping them from getting any farther. Klenon began to grit his teeth as the rockets continued to move slowly. He was being pushed back slightly as he lost his leverage against the missles.

The APC began to fire it's machine gun at Klenon, but his barrier was able to withstand it. A side hatch opened and five quarians ran out shooting their guns at him. Every shot weaknened his barriers, his energy was already draining while he was keeping the missles back.

Klenon closed his eyes and threw the missles toward the ground, making a large crater and throwing dirt into the air. All of the guards shielded their visors from the blast...and were off-guard.

Klenon jumped through the dirt in the air and grabbed one of the guard's rifle. He forced the barrel under the quarian's chin and pulled the trigger, leaving a bloody mess. He kicked the body away and _threw_ two quarians into buildings.

One quarian tried to punch his visor, but he grabbed his hand and stabbed him in the chest. The quarian screamed in agony as Klenon withdrew the blade as he kicked him back. Klenon jammed the knife behind him without looking. He could feel his blade going through the last quarian's suit and body.

He pulled out the knife, sheathed it, then turned his attention to the APC. The large metal beast began to rev it's engine. Klenon picked the mine up from the ground and activated it.

The APC charged at Klenon with full speed, getting closer and closer to Klenon in only a few seconds. Without hesitating, Klenon ran straight towards it, mine in hand.

Before the two could make contact with each other, Klenon dropped down and slid right under the APC. In a split-second, Klenon attached the mine right under it. The APC drove right over him, oblivious to what he had done.

Klenon rolled to his feet and looked at the APC one last time.

_Sucks to be you._

The mine went off as soon as Klenon finished that thought, lifting the APC a few feet into the air before being engulfed in flames. Klenon gave a sigh of exhaustion then proceeded into the admin building with cautious steps.

The main lobby was a mess. There were small fires and bodies littered across the floor. Thankfully, most were Maleko's guards. Klenon pushed through a door and found the others hiding behind a row of tables. Klenon pulled out his rifle then hid next to Rekko.

The room was a rectangle. There were stairs on both sides of the room across from them that connected to a balcony. That led to a few more rooms before ending at Maleko's office.

"How's everyone doing?" he asked.

"We could be better." Rekko said as he blindly fired his pistol over their cover.

"He's exaggerating; as usual." Qerean said, who was next to Rekko. Next to her was Rivo who was waiting for a good time to pounce.

"So what's the real situation?" Klenon said, glaring at the turian.

"Maleko is holed up in his office from what we can tell. No sign of Trej. The only people we've seen so far are the guards." Qerean explained. She stood up and fired off a few rounds, then ducked under cover before she was hit.

"From what we can tell, there's a lot of them." she said. A bullet scraping the top of her cover after she said that.

"Vero said he was going to get here as soon as he could with reinforcements." Rekko added. An explosion erupted above them, raining down rubble on top of their heads and leaving a large hole in the ceiling.

"This place is a death trap." Rekko said as he shot a quarian in the torso.

"I bet Maleko thinks he can take us with him." Qerean said. A grenade exploded in front of them, but the table took the blast.

"We have to hold out here until Vero arrives. Or we could push in, either way works." Klenon said, getting up and firing in bursts from his rifle. More guards ran inside the rectangular room and were either immediatly shot or ran behind cover.

Qerean shot a quarian who was trying to flank them. She tried to shoot another quarian but her gun only made an incessant clicking noise.

"Are you serious? How am I out of ammo?" Qerean said as she hit her gun in frustration. Klenon was about to reach for a block of ammo until he heard a cry of pain. He and Rekko looked over and saw Qerean on the floor grabbing her side. A bullet had pierced through the table and hit her.

Blood was seeping through her fingers and dripped onto the floor, making a small pool. Klenon rushed to her side and injected some anitbiotics.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I've been shot before. But this is so going to hurt later." Qerean grunted. She moved her hand and her blood began to flow freely. Klenon tried his best to patch her puncture. Once he was able to patch her up, he pulled her up and she sat down, trying to calm her nerves.

"Vero, where are you? Qerean is injured and we need all the help we can get." Klenon said.

"I'm almost there. Treat Qerean as best you can. Once I get there, we can take this building." Vero assured.

Rekko picked up her rifle and reloaded it. He aimed down the sight and fired relentlessly at the guards, killing three of them in one burst. Qerean pulled out her pistol and fired one round before a jolt of pain went throughout her body. She bit her toungue to keep herself from screaming.

"This isn't going to work. I can't fire a single bullet without having pain run up and down my body." Qerean gasped. Klenon rifled through his pockets before pulling out a small vial with a clear, purple liquid. He sat down next to her and pulled out the metallic cork. He attached it to the vial and put it to under her helmet.

"Drink this, it's a painkiller. Just stay down and keep a low profile. Once we secure the room, we can take better care of you." Klenon said. Qerean just nodded and held her side tightly. Klenon hefted his rifle up and shot a guard on a balcony. The body fell over the rails and landed with a _thud_.

Bullets suddenly started to fly over Klenon, but they were coming from behind him. He turned around and saw Vero and three other quarians plus some a couple of droids charging in. The three quarians tossed grenades over their cover, killing a good portion of the guards.

More guards came in from the entrance, shooting two quarians in the back before they even knew they were there. Vero and the others turned around and gunned down the guards with ease.

Vero crouched next to Qerean and fired his rifle.

"How are you doing, Qerean?" he asked without looking at her.

"I've got a bit of a headache. The ringing in my ears is...getting annoying." she said in a solemn voice. The truth was she felt much worse, but kept it to herself.

"It's common. Just stay put and we'll get a medic to check you out, okay?" Vero said in a soft voice despite the carnage around them. Qerean just quickly nodded.

Vero moved towards the wall and jumped over their cover. He stayed low and fired at an unsuspecting guard, shattering their visor to pieces. Vero reached out and grabbed a shard of the glass. He continued to sneak around the side, being careful to avoid detection.

He got behind another quarian and brought out the shard of glass. He wrapped his arm around the quarian's neck and stabbed him in the chest. He brought up his pistol then shot a guard next to him.

The last few guard's noticed him and started shooting at him. Vero moved the dying quarian in front of him and the meat shield took all of the shots while Vero fired his pistol. All of the unwitty guards were gunned down.

Qerean coughed violently as a bead of sweat trickled down her brow. She was starting to get a fever. She thought the antibiotics would have worked by now, but to her, it seemed as if Klenon hadn't give her anything at all.

"Guys, I'm not doing so great." she was barely able to get out. Everyone's attention suddenly shifted to her.

"How long have you been like this?" Vero asked as he jumped over the cover and squatted down next to her.

"Only about a minute. Damn, I really hate our immune systems sometimes." she grumbled.

"Those meds I gave you should have worked by now, why aren't they?" Klenon asked himself.

"It *cough* doesn't matter now. I need a medic." Qerean said in a hoarse voice, putting her hands on the sides of her helmet.

"Someone get a medic here now!" Vero shouted. A quarian ran out of the building, looking around for one.

"Qerean, you can pull through this, you've been through wor-"

There was a loud _bang_ and a quarian suddenly dropped dead. Everyone looked up at the source of the shot. At the balcony that connected to the stairs, armed with a minigun, was Trej.

"Well, isn't this just pleasant...and convenient." he said. Klenon got up and mentally prepared to pull out his gun.

"I have to say, I was worried that I would have had to scour the whole city for you five. Nice to see you've come crawling back to me." he sneered, aiming the minigun at them.

"Stand aside, Trej. If you surrender, we won't hurt you." Klenon said. Trej laughed mockingly.

"Do you honestly believe that I'll listen to you? You must take me for a fool. Face it kid, you're just a washed up marine with nothing better to do than die." Trej said.

"Well it was worth a shot." Rekko muttered.

"I just can't wait until I present your head to Maleko. I think I might get a bonus in my paycheck." he said, winding the barrels of the minigun. Everyone except for Klenon instinctivley dove under the nearest cover.

"You're really going to do this?" Klenon asked. Trej just looked at him, not bothering to reply.

"Guess you are."

Klenon dove over the cover before the bullets began to rain down on them. The rounds hammered down on their cover hard. It was a wonder that it was still holding together.

"We are so screwed." Rekko whispered.

"We can't get out of this cover without getting shot." Vero said. Numerous holes were being made in the cover and there was an incessant and loud _ping _sound when the bullets hit the metal coverings.

Out of the corner of his eye, Klenon saw a splash of blood hit the floor. He looked over and saw Qerean on the floor; she wasn't moving.

"Qerean!"

Everyone looked over and saw the motionless body lying there in an expanding pool of blood. Vero tried to move, but Trej's gunfire made it impossible.

"We can't get near her now, Klenon! We have to deal with Trej first!" Vero shouted. Klenon's grip on his gun tightened. He peered over their cover and saw Trej just standing at the balcony, laughing maniacally as he unleashed torrents of bullets.

"How the hell are we going to get to him?" Rekko shouted. Klenon thought hard, hard enough to make his head start to hurt.

"I have one idea, but it is risky." he finally said.

"It doesn't matter. This bosh'tet is our worry right now. And I doubt that Maleko will put up much of a fight. Do whatever you need to do to take him down!" Vero said. Klenon closed his eyes and concentrated, the non-stop cracking of gunfire making it almost impossible.

A ball of black energy formed in his palm, growing larger by each passing second. It then began to swirl intensely, evidence to it's power. Klenon stood up and fired the black orb. It flew right by Trej before he even knew it was there.

The orb hit the ground and a singularity formed, sucking in everything within reach, including Trej. The quarian was swept off his feet and sucked in towards the orb. Trej began shouting a string of profanities.

Klenon jumped over their cover and charged up the stairs. Trej noticed this and, despite being thrown around the orb like a doll, aimed his minigun at him. The barrels whined as Trej took perfect aim at Klenon.

A stream of bullets fired and all of them hit Klenon's barrier. Klenon still kept running. Trej fired another stream, and completely destroyed his barrier. Klenon jumped into the singularity and grabbed the minigun.

Trej tried furiously to take the gun away, but Klenon had a fierce grip. In the end, he threw the gun at Klenon, hitting him in the chest. Klenon grunted in pain as the singularity wore off and they both fell to the floor.

Trej was to first to get up, taking his minigun from Klenon and kicking him the stomach. Making sure he wasn't going to get up, he turned around and resumed his burtal attack on the others.

Klenon got to his knees and held his stomach in pain. Trej had a harder kick than he expected. He crawled desperately towards the quarian and grabbed his ankle. Klenon began to glow a birght blue as Trej noticed what he was doing.

A sudden pain ran up Trej's leg. He yelped in pain before he hit Klenon in the side of his helmet with the minigun. Klenon was knocked onto his back put he didn't let go of Trej.

The pain was almost unbearable. Trej furiously tried to make Klenon let go, but he wouldn't.

"You unloved piece of crap!" Trej shouted as he stomped on the top of Klenon's helmet. The crack on Klenon's visor got bigger, and he thought he heard the subtle hissing sound of unfiltered air pouring inside his helmet.

_Deal with it later! Take out this bosh'tet once and for all!_

Klenon grabbed Trej's boot before it connected with his helmet. Klenon pushed the boot forward, making Trej lose his balance. Trej fell to the floor, the minigun landing right beside him.

Klenon grabbed him by the throat and threw elbow after elbow at Trej's visor, making small crakcs. The two of them wrestled briefly one of them gaining leverage on the other for a few seconds before the other had the advantage.

Eventually, Trej pushed Klenon off of him and stood up. He ignored the minigun on the floor and delivered a straight jab at Klenon's neck, making him gasp for air. Trej sent a powerful kick to his chest and sent him flying backwards.

Klenon hit the ground hard and began to cough loudly as he struggled to breathe. Trej picked up his minigun and fired more rounds at their cover. Nobody had even moved an inch. Why?

"Looks like you failed, worm! I'm stronger than all of you." he bragged, aiming his minigun at Klenon at point-blank range. Klenon looked up, but didn't try to move. It would only mean certain death.

"If you can't beat me, what makes you think that you have even a remote chance of beating Maleko?" he laughed. The minigun began to make it's familiar and unwanted whine.

"Guess you'll never find out. None of you will."

Trej was suddenly grabbed by the shoulder and thrown around. The next thing he knew, a mine was attached to his visor.

"We will, but you won't, bosh'tet!" Qerean growled. Trej tried to pry the mine off, but Qerean wasn't letting it go.

"Qerean, what are you doing?" Klenon shouted.

"Going out on my own terms!"

A bright explosion erupted and Klenon shielded his eyes. He couldn't hear anything besides the loud ringing in his ears. After a couple of seconds, his vision cleared and he saw what was left.

Both of the quarians were on the ground. He couldn't tell if they were dead, though he should expect it. Klenon stood up on shaky legs and moved over to Trej.

His remains were what Klenon suspected. Not much was left, but the results were devastating. His helmet was charred and his face was covered with burns and shrapnel. It was hardly recognizable as quarian.

He heard footsteps and his attention suddenly moved to Qerean. He moved over to her and, to his surprise, she was still breathing. Klenon knelt beside her and looked her over.

Her own visor was shattered and she had a burn mark that went down the left side of her face. Her suit was torn up and her hand that she held the mine with was severed. Her breath was ragged and her eyes were bloodshot.

"Is the bastard dead?" she gasped.

"He's not getting back up." Klenon said softly. Despite her injuries, Qerean let out a quiet chuckle. Vero, Rekko, and Rivo reached the stop of the stairs and saw their fallen companion.

"Well, being a martyr is better than bleeding out on the floor." she coughed. She then looked down and noticed her severed hand.

"That sucks. It won't matter much anymore though." she said. Vero walked up to her other side and knelt down.

"You've done us a great service, Qerean." he said.

"Hell, anything to give Maleko a 'fuck you'." she softly laughed.

"We won't forget what you've sacrificed, Qerean." Klenon said.

"C'mon guys. Save it for the funeral." she said. Her calmness of her death was somewhat of a relief to Klenon.

"But, I am going to miss you guys." she said, taking a more serious tone.

"We'll miss you too." Rekko said. Qerean took another breath and tears began to well up in her eyes.

"What is it like? What's the afterlife going to be?" she asked.

"It'll be better than here, that's for sure." Rekko said. Qerean giggled and a tear went down from her eye.

"When I meet up with you guys again, the first round is on me." she said. Her breathing began to slow and her eyes slowly closed.

"Stab that bosh'tet for me, would ya?"

Klenon nodded and gently grabbed her hand.

"You can count on it."

"All I needed to hear."

Qerean closed her eyes and another tear fell from her eye. She gave one last smile before her breathing stopped. Her hand hand went limp in Klenon's. He placed it on the ground and made the same motion with his fingers that he did with Jak, honoring her death.

"Keelah se'lai."

There was a long moment of silence, no one moving an inch, all of them taking a moment to recouperate. Vero stood up suddenly and addressed the rest.

"We have to go get Maleko. He's only a few feet away and I want to catch that rat bastard before he has a chance to escape."

"Right. The sooner we nab him, the sooner this'll all end." Rekko agreed, standing up. Klenon took one last look at Qerean before standing up.

"We just have a few more rooms. Let's go." Vero said, moving ahead. Rekko pulled out his pistol and followed him. Klenon was the last to get up, pulling out his rifle and taking slow steps.

The three walked inside with a the droids that were left and looked around; nobody was there. They went on to the next room and were beset upon by guards hiding behind sofas.

All three of them dove behind other sofas while the two droids fired their weapons. Klenon pulled out his shotgun and fired at the guards' cover, shredding it and causing the sofa's foam to rain all over the room.

The guards were distracted and a droid was able to shoot a guard in the arm. The guard fell to the floor and grabbed his arm, exposing himself to the others. Rekko was the first to notice and finished the guard off.

One of the guards shot a droid and it collapsed to the floor, spilling synthetic liquid all over the floor. Klenon heard a growl behind him and saw Rivo standing there. He looked at him for a while before he realized what he wanted.

"You know this is stupid right?" Klenon asked. Rivo panted in response. Klenon shook his head then put away his shotgun.

Rivo was surrounded with a blue aura and thrown across the room. He landed right behind a guard and attacked him from behind, clawing at his back. The other two guards turned their attention to the varren.

Klenon jumped over the sofa and jumped on another guard pulling out his knife as they fell. Klenon stabbed the guard in throat before they hit the floor.

The last guard, realizing he was outnumbered, got down on his knees and put his gun down. Vero walked up to him with a pistol and aimed it squarely at his head. The guard held up his hands defensivly.

"Don't! Don't shoot, I surrender!" he shouted, looking away from the muzzle of the gun. He could still hear the varren ripping apart his comrade.

"If you give us some information, you can go." Vero offered.

"Okay, okay! What do you want to know?" the guard said, still not looking at Vero.

"Is Maleko in his office?"

"Yes, Yes, he's in there. He seems surprisingly calm. I don't know why." the guard answered truthfully.

"Are there other people there?" Vero asked.

"Not that I know of. I haven't been in his office much, but there aren't any turrents or anything like that if that's what you're asking." the guard said.

"One more thing." Vero said. The guard nodded.

"Are there anymore guards from here on out? Are you the last one?"

"All guards were required to move here immediatly as soon as we heard you were heading this way. I'm guessing that you killed them all or they died on the way here. I think I am the last one left."

Several quarians ran inside and looked around, awaiting orders.

"Take him away. Show him the proof." Vero said. Two quarians grabbed him and hauled him away. Vero turend around and noticed Klenon standing in the doorway, Rivo next to him. he was looking into a circular room, the same one where he first met Maleko. The door to his office was to Klenon's left.

"Kid?"

"I want to take him. Alone. I want to beat him within inches of his life, to make him suffer." Klenon said, anger in his voice.

"Maleko is all alone in his office, so you can do what you want. Just make sure he's still alive so he can spill his guts to the Enclave." Vero said. Klenon subtly nodded.

"We'll stay here and...give you your privacy." Vero said. Klenon nodded again.

"Rivo, I want you to stay here too." Klenon said. Rivo began to whimper.

"It'll only be for a second, boy. Then I'll come back out." Klenon assured. Rivo laid down on the floor and began to pant. Klenon took a deep breath then stepped into the circular room. He moved towards Maleko's door and stopped right in front of it.

This was it. Maleko had nowhere else to run. Klenon was going to finish right here, right now. Klenon moved his hand across the access panel and the door slid open.

Klenon briskly walked inside and pulled out his pistol at the figure sitting in the desk. Maleko merely stared him down, his expression unreadable behind the mask. The glowing pillar behind him in the window was shining more brightly than before.

"You've really become a thorn in my side, Klenon." Maleko said. His tone was emotionless and dry.

"I try."

Klenon took a couple more steps inside, his pistol trained on Maleko's head.

"I have to admit, I underestimated you and your...abilities." Maleko said.

"You should have known better than to frame me. You have no where else to run, and you put the entire Enclave in jeopardy. You're not fit to watch over the Enclave, you never were." Klenon hissed.

"I've kept the Enclave running since you were a child! All of this trouble started because of you. You murdered those quarians, you started the prison riot, you assaulted the Enclave and are trying to kill it's administrator. All because you manipulated the feelings of one agent." Maleko replied.

Klenon's mind snapped to Arenia once Maleko brought her up. It took all of his will not to outright shoot Maleko.

"Where is she? Where is Arenia?" Klenon barked.

"You want to know where she is?" Maleko chuckled. His casual tone only made Klenon angrier. All of it immediatly dissipated as he felt a gun being pressed against the side of his helmet. Klenon looked to his left and saw none other than Arenia holding the pistol.

The familiar warmth in her eyes was no longer there. It was replaced with a cold stare that showed that she didn't care what would happen to him. Klenon lowered his pistol as he felt part of his heart being torn out.

"Arenia..."

"Knows the truth, Klenon." Maleko said, standing up from his chair. "She knows about everything you did to decieve her. She knows better now, and she won't be sucked into your games anymore."

"Arenia, please..."

Arenia pressed the gun harder against Klenon's helmet, showing that she didn't want to hear it.

"Klenon, what happened?" Vero shouted as he ran through the door with Rekko. The two of them saw Arenia aiming at pistol at Klenon and instantly aimed their guns at her. Even though his back was towards them, Klenon knew that the situation got worse, that both Rekko and Vero were aiming at Arenia, endangering her.

"Guys...drop them." Klenon ordered.

"Hell no. Not while she has a gun pointed at you." Rekko objected.

"Rekko! Do it." Klenon stressed. Rekko didn't respond for a few seconds, putting an air of tension in the room.

Rekko let go of the gun and let it fall on the floor. Vero did the same. Klenon, slightly relieved, turned his attention to Arenia and chose his next words carefully.

"Arenia, please listen to me, things aren't what they appear to be." Klenon said softly. He couldn't tell if Arenia was at all affected by what he was saying, but she hadn't shot him yet.

"Maleko isn't what he says he is. He's the one manipulating you." Klenon said. Still no response.

"This is absurd. What sort of reason would I have to manipulate you?" Maleko asked. Arenia looked at him briefly before turning her attention to Klenon again.

"The reason is that you are responsible for ALL of the missing quarians. I have the proof." Klenon said. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Arenia's widen a bit.

"Proof? How could there be proof of something that is an outright fabrication!" Maleko exclaimed. His raised tone only gave Klenon more confidence that Arenia would listen to him.

Klenon reached into his pocket that had the datapad and fished it out. He held it in front of Arenia, wanting her to take it.

"Arenia, please read this. It shows that Maleko is responsible for everything." Klenon said. Arenia hesistated to grab it, but ultimately did so. She intently read the contents, still holding the gun to Klenon's head.

_Believe me._

Arenia looked up from the datapad. Klenon couldn't tell if she believed him or not, making him more nervous. She dropped the datapad on the floor then looked back at Klenon, even angrier than before.

"How do you expect me to believe that?" she shouted. "The collectors don't even exist!"

Klenon quietly sighed. Her skepticism of the collectors was the only thing that kept her from believing him.

"Well, it seems that your ruse didn't work. I told you, there is no way you can manipulate her twice." Maleko said as he sat back down in his seat. Klenon looked at the ground and shook his head. He couldn't believe that it didn't work.

"Arenia, we're telling the truth!" Rekko said, stepping forward. Arenia aimed her pistol at him.

"Why should I believe you? You're with a couple of convicts who killed hundreds of guards to get here. Hell, Klenon even told me on Noveria that he found you in a cell." Arenia said. Rekko stepped back and didn't say another word.

Klenon's hands balled into fists. He mind began to come up with more drastic courses of action. He didn't want to consider any of them, but these were desperate times.

_Please forgive me._

"All of you are criminals. I should shoot you right no-"

Arenia suddenly felt a hand grab her wrist and felt a subtle sharp object on her neck. She reflexively grabbed the hand the held the sharp object and felt a chill down her spine when she was able to see what was going on.

Klenon had grabbed her hand with the gun and pulled it up, and he took out his knife and was holding it threatningly close to her throat.

"Klenon...how could you?"

His eyes were serious. No more friendliness in them, just a void of emotion. Despite everything, she felt a sudden pang of regret. They used to be so close, but now they were literally at each other's throats, atleast for him. Everyday since he was arrested she had been sobbing over everything he did.

But...could he? He was a marine, sworn to defend his people, yet he was charged for murder. But why? He was on fairly good terms with everybody and he had shown no impulse of violence.

Was he telling the truth? How could she know? Who should she believe? The person who was a father figure to her, or the man she loved...or loves?

It seemed that their relationship had no effect on him. He stilll had that cold stare. Was he lying? How could she know?

Almost as if he was reading her mind, Klenon said

"If he is a father figure to you, why hasn't he even made an attempt to save you?"

Arenia's eyes widen. She looked over and saw Maleko still just sitting there in his calm posture. Klenon was right, Maleko hadn't even said anything since Klenon 'attacked' her. Now she was starting to see a glimpse of who was telling the truth.

"I don't understand." she said.

"Maleko doesn't care about you. If quarians kept disappearing, why hadn't he told the public? Why didn't he warn them to stay away from the outside, or atleast give them a heads-up about it when they did go? The collectors are real, he is dealing with them, and I found out which is why he framed me and threw me in jail; to make sure that I didn't get the word out." Klenon explained.

Little by little, it all made sense to her. Maleko had indeed not spoken a word about the disappearances. He never even sent a rescue team after anybody who disappeared in the wilderness.

"He's right. You didn't do a thing." Arenia said, looking at Maleko. It was at that instant that it was all revealed to her. Klenon was telling the truth and Maleko was lying through his teeth.

"Klenon, I'm sorry." she said, letting the pistol fall from her hand. Klenon loosened his grip a little but Arenia got out of it and hugged him tightly.

"I'm so sorry for doubting you." she whispered. Klenon wrapped one arm around her.

"We can worry about that later, right now we need to-"

Maleko grabbed Klenon by the throat and slammed him against the wall, surprising everybody by his speed. Klenon's knife fell from his hands as he gasped for air. Maleko strangled him with one hand as Arenia reached for the gun she dropped, but Maleko back-handed her, sending her stumbling backwards.

Rekko and Vero dove for their discarded weapons. Maleko noticed and briskly walked back behind his desk with a struggling Klenon in his hand, his back to the other three. Vero and Rekko fired their weapons, but the rounds were deflected, unexpectedly, by Maleko's shields.

Rekko cursed at their luck. He ran over and pulled Arenia up to her feet. Maleko slammed Klenon against the window behind his desk, cracking it.

"I'll deal with you three later." he said, throwing Klenon through the glass. He fell hard on the concrete floor, the air blown out of his lungs. He had fallen atleast thrity feet into a cylindrical room with the glowing pillar in the center.

Maleko jumped down from the window and landed on his feet and walked towards Klenon, not missing a step. Rekko and Arenia ran for the window, but it was sealed off by a barrier curtain before they could jump down.

"Fuck! How are we going to get down there?" Rekko shouted, punching the barrier.

"There is a way, the maintenance tunnels." Arenia said.

"She's right, they lead straight into that room. C'mon, we don't have time to waste." Vero said turning around and sprinting outside. Rekko and Arenia following him. before Arenia left, however, she grabbed Klenon's knife and put it on her belt.

Klenon struggled to get to his feet. He was barely able to get onto his knees before Maleko grabbed him by the neck and dragged him across the floor. He picked him up then slammed him against the concrete wall. Shots of pain ran up and down Klenon's spine as his back connected with the wall.

"You don't have any idea of what you are getting into. After I kill you, I'm going to take care of your friends. As for Arenia, I'lll make sure she has a great time before I put her out of her misery." Maleko sneered.

Klenon brought up his feet and kicked Maleko off of him. He landed on his feet and began his retaliation, delivering a multitude of kicks and punches.

What he didn't expect was Maleko dodging or blocking every single one. Maleko grabbed Klenon's fist and pulled it down. Vulnerable, Maleko delivered a straight jab at Klenon's visor followed by a boot to the chest, knocking him to the ground.

"You should've listened to Trej. If you had, you wouldn't be in this situation." Maleko said as he stomped on Klenon's stomach, knocking the breath out of him. He picked Klenon up and dropped him on his feet.

Klenon raised his fists only to get kicked and punched by Maleko. Every blow he threw struck Klenon. He wasn't able to block or dodge any of them. Maleko grabbed his sash, picked him up, then threw him down to the ground.

"I could have given everything your heart desired. Profit, power, women, but you had to do the honorable thing!" Maleko shouted, repeatedly punching Klenon.

Klenon managed to dodge one punch and hit Maleko in teh elbow making a sickening crack. Despite it, Maleko grabbed Klenon arm and flipped him over his back. Klenon landed on his feet and twisted around so that he was twisting Maleko's arm.

Maleko elbowed him on the side of his helmet and threw his head back, hitting Klenon square in the visor. He spun around and threw a powerful fist towards his visor.

Klenon grabbed Maleko's fist and _threw_ him across the room. He shakily got up then threw a warp at Maleko, hitting his mark. Maleko shook it off and engaged Klenon again. Powerfully punching Klenon several times then tiger-fisted Klenon, knocking him down to the floor.

Klenon jumped up and threw a series of warps, all of them shredding pieces of fabric from Maleko's suit. He then roundhouse kicked Maleko in the head, spinning him around. Klenon then wrapped his arms around Maleko's neck.

Klenon kicked his knee and Maleko collapsed to one leg. Klenon let go then jumped off of his back. Klenon turned around in mid air than fired another warp at Maleko, damaging his visor.

Klenon landed and charged at Maleko, who quickly stood up and pulled out a pistol. Klenon stopped in his tracks and tried to bring up a barrier, but he felt a searing pain on his foot.

He yelped in pain and saw that there was a small flame on his boot. Maleko had shot him with an incendiary round. Luckily, the boot's metal armor had protected him from a more serious injury. Maleko fired another round, making Klenon stumble to avoid being shot again. He accidently fell on his back.

Maleko grabbed his foot and began to spin Klenon around. He let go and Klenon flew towards the wall. Maleko grabbed him again and hoisted him up. Klenon punched him twice, denting his helmet.

Maleko head-butted him and dropped him on the floor then delivered a powerful stomp on his chest.

Klenon's ribs were broken and he coughed up blood. Some of it began to drip from the corner of his mouth and it hurt to breath. Klenon didn't move. He was brutally beaten and several of his bones were cracked or broken. He was tired and he wasn't mentally able to make any kind of biotic attack. His suit was on the verge of tearing. If he didn't get help soon, he'd be another victim of Maleko's insanity.

Maleko looked around the room and looked back at the mangled body before him.

"I am going to enjoy this." he sneered. He grasped Klenon and moved towards the glowing pillar in the center of the room. Klenon didn't make a single attempt at resistance. He was beaten.

Maleko stopped right in front of the pillar and pinned Klenon against it. Electricity began to course through his body, causing his body to convulse violently. His screams of pain grew in intensity as the electricity did. Maleko ignored the electricity taht passed through him and kept Klenon pinnde on the pillar .

Klenon's body suddenly went limp and his screaming ended abruptly. Maleko dropped him and Klenon fell to the floor, unmoving. Maleko peered into his helmet and saw that his eyes were barely open.

"Insolent worm. You never had a chance." Maleko said.

"A hard-headed, degraded bosh'tet who's too idealistic for his own good doesn't have the strength or the will to be a challange for me. Now you're paying the ultimate price, Klenon." Maleko said, pulling out his pistol.

Klenon was barely able to see Maleko. His vision kept fading in and out and he was taking short and shallow breaths.

"Tommorrow, everyone will know how I killed the terrorist leader and made him beg for mercy. That he died the same way he lived, like a coward."

Klenon grabbed Maleko's foot in a desperate attempt to fight him. Maleko shook his hand off and stomped on it. Klenon grunted and quickly retreated his hand. Maleko aimed the pistol at Klenon's visor and put his finger on the trigger.

"I will continue my work uninterrupted. I will make an example of you. Nothing can stop me. Not even-"

Maleko screamed in pain as he dropped his pistol. A small three-fingered hand grabbed the underside of his visor and pulled his head up. A knife came around and slit Maleko's throat. His neck began to bleed profusely.

Arenia kicked to Maleko to the floor and hurried to Klenon's side.

"Klenon, oh Keelah, are you okay?" she asked, trying to get him to his feet. Klenon merely shook his head. Once he was on his feet, Klenon reached down and grabbed Maleko's pistol. He took a good look at Maleko's body. There was a hole in his back, which explained why he dropped his pistol.

"Nice of you to show up." Klenon said. He stumbled slightly and Arenia helped him keep his balance.

"I'll always protect you, dremo." Arenia replied. Klenon's heart skipped a beat when she said that. She had truly forgiven him. Both of them began to walk towards an open door. Klenon heard a subtle cough and immediatly turned around and aimed his gun at Maleko.

He pushed himself up and sat down. His neck was still bleeding as he supported his weight with his elbows.

"You fools." he managed to say despite having his throat slit.

"It's over Maleko." Arenia said.

"You're right. It is. Just not in the way you think." Maleko gurgled.

"What do you mean?" Klenon demanded.

"Have you not stopped and wondered why I did what I did?" Maleko asked.

"For profit." Klenon replied. Maleko shook his head.

"Idiot. I am already leader of the Enclave and get everthing I desire." Maleko said.

"Greedy men always want more than what they have." Klenon said.

"Don't you get it? By killing me you have doomed our race to total extinction!" Maleko snapped.

"The Enclave will stand. I'm telling everyone the truth." Klenon said.

"The Enclave is the least of your worries. They will come and in time, they will annihilate everyone." Maleko said.

"Who are 'they'?" Klenon asked.

"They? They...They are the vanguards of our damnation." Maleko said, his voice faltering.

"Who are 'they'?" Klenon asked again. Maleko look at him straight in the eye and responded.

"Do you ever wonder why the protheans disappeared fifty-thousand years ago?" Maleko asked.

"It never mattered to me." Klenon said.

"It will now. 'They' are the ones who are responsible for it. The ones who are sure to do it again." Maleko said.

"Stop avoiding the answer! Who are 'they'?" Klenon demanded.

"...The reapers."

"Reapers?" Klenon said,

"They came to me, told me what they did and will do. They said that in exchange for quarians, our race would be spared from the massacre that is sure to come." Maleko coughed.

"That's your reason?" Klenon asked.

"You charged in here with the mindset that this is because of me being evil, but the truth is, I was saving us from death. And you've ruined that. Because of you, we are all going to die." Maleko said, coughing harshly

"But...you won't live to see it. If I'm going to die, I'm taking the two of you with me!" Maleko shouted, pulling out a detonator. Before either Klenon or Arenia could act, he pressed the button and the glowing pillar behind him began to pulse.

"Run. NOW!" Klenon shouted. Both of them ran through the door as Maleko laughed maniacally. Just as they passed the threshold, the glowing pillar exploded. Klenon looked behind them and saw a wave of fire pursuing them with no signs of slowing down.

"Where's the exit?" Klenon shouted.

"Just keep following me!" Arenia replied, turning a corner. Klenon turned the same corner and almost tripped over a corpse of a guard.

"Where is everyone else!" he asked.

"They are at the entrance." she answered. Klenon sneaked another look and saw the inferno getting closer.

"Faster!" he shouted, his legs burning from the effort. Thw two ran up a flight of stairs and continued sprinting. Klenon's broken ribs caused pangs of pain to run up his chest as he feet hit the floor. Steadily, he began to fall behind Arenia.

"Come on, Klenon, It's no much farther." Arenia said. Klenon began gasping for air as his energy began to run out. He could feel the heat of the fire warming his back. They didn't have a lot of time left.

"Up this ladder!" Arenia said as she climbed three rungs at a time. Klenon reached up and grabbed the highest rung he could reach. He pulled himself up and climbed as fast as he could. When he reached the top, he could feel the fire burning the heel of his boot. One slip up and it was over for the both of them.

They reached another flight of stairs and quickly ascended it. At the end of a long hall was a door with Rekko, Vero, and Rivo waiting.

"Hurry up! We gotta close this door!" Rekko shouted, nearing the panel for the door control. Klenon looked back and saw the fire was only five from from them. They weren't going to make it.

"Shut the door, Rekko!" he shouted.

"What? Fuck that!" Rekko replied.

"Damn it, Rekko, just do it!" Klenon shouted.

"We don't have time to argue, Rekko." Vero said. Rekko watched as the two quarians kept running towards them, the fire in hot pursuit.

"I'm sorry." he said. He pressed the door control and the door slid shut, making a clicking noise as the locks engaged.

"Do you trust me?" Klenon asked. Arenia looked at him and slowly nodded. She was running out of breath and was slowing down as well. Klenon outstretched his hand and Arenia put her hand in his.

"More than anyone."

...

A few seconds had passed since Rekko shut the door. Both he and Vero began to accept the fact that both Klenon and Arenia were dead. A loud _whoosh _was heard as the fire impacted the door. Smoke began to emanate from around it, but it stayed in place. Vero put his hand close to the door and felt the heat radiating from it.

Vero sighed as he pulled his hand away. Rivo whimpered as he began to scratch the door.

"Should we open it?" Rekko asked.

"Not now." Vero said. Droids and other quarians began to escort prisoners out of the admin building. They managed to take forty-percent of the Enclave and fighting was still going on throughout the city. The two of them waited anotehr ten seconds before Rekko briskly walked towards the door control.

"What are you doing?" Vero asked, already knowing what Rekko was doing.

"I'm opening this thing up. The fire should be gone by now." Rekko said, his fingeer nearing the button.

"Don't be stupid. We don't know if it is gone." Vero said grabbing Rekko's forearm,

"I'm taking my chances. My best friend is locked up in there and he deserves to get out of that hell hole. Even if he is dead." Rekko said, shaking off Vero's hand. He pressed the button before Vero could get another word in. The door slid open and smoke filled the room.

Rekko waved it away and peered inside the burnt corridor. He could barely make out two forms lying on the floor, one on top of the other and motionless.

_Fuck._

He took slow, deliberate steps inside and stopped in front of them.

"Fucking Maleko. I hope he burns in hell." Rekko muttered.

"Well he did get burned."

One of the forms looked up and waved the smoke away. Klenon was on top of Arenia and looked straight at Rekko. Around them was a biotic barrier that quickly dissipated.

"You asshole." Rekko laughed. He walked over and pulled both of them up. Klenon was in somewhat in a slouch and breathing heavily, but besides that, he was alright.

"Let's never do that again." Arenia said.

"Done." Klenon replied with a smirk. He and Arenia limped out of the room, Rivo running around in circles, exalted.

"Hell, kid, you just pulled off something that was damn near impossible." Vero said.

"Well, I had a little help." Klenon said.

"Yeah right. A little." Arenia said.

"So what happens now?" Rekko asked.

"Maleko must have files on his computer about his deal with the collectors. We show those to the public and the fighting will cease." Vero said.

"Good, I need to take a break from the fighting." Klenon said.

"So that's it? Maleko is dead?" Vero said.

"Burned to a crisp." Arenia said.

"Well, now that Maleko is gone, what's going to happen to the Enclave? Who's gonna head her?" Rekko asked.

"The one man who made all of this possible." Vero said, looking at Klenon.

"Me? I'm just a marine. I can't lead an entire city." Klenon said.

"Kid, you managed to recruit prison inmates by uniting them under a single purpose and formulated a plan that everyone else deemed impossible. Then you coordinated the break-out and kept everyone cooperating to work towards that one goal. You pretty much took over an entire city with what you did. If that isn't a leader, I don't know what is." Vero said.

Klenon looked around then down at the floor. Could he pull it off? Could he lead the Enclave and keep everything under control? After what Vero said, leading teh Enclave doesn't sound too different than leading an army.

The Enclave needed someone who would be honest with them. Someone who would look out for their best intrest.

Klenon looked up and said

"I'll give it a shot."

**I hope you guys enjoyed this. I still have the Epilogue to write so I'm not done yet.**


	29. Epilogue

**Here's our ending, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**Mapped: Your answer is at the end, but no skipping! :)**

Epilogue

"There's been someting I've been meaning to ask you." Rekko said as he poured a glass of wine. He and Klenon were in Maleko's office, which rightfully became Klenon's as he was appointed the new administrator.

It was late at night, about eleven o' clock. Once they retrieved the information Maleko had, they began to distribute it to every omni-tool in the Enclave. It only took a few minutes before the gunfire ceased and everyone stopped fighting.

Once the news spread of the new administrator, a few were a little uneasy about letting a rebel leader take control. Especially one that had no experience leading a settlement as large as the Enclave.

However, Klenon was able to silence most of the doubts by showing both his willingness and his ability to lead the Enclave. The few that were left unsatisfied did not speak up and let his actions in the future be his proof.

"And what would that be?" Klenon said, from behind his desk, looking over various files and reports on Maleko's computer. Behind him, the room that held the glowing pillar was pitch-black.

"I noticed something you said back on the Reinava. Tara said you knew Arenia. But when we saw her, you said that you didn't know her." Rekko said.

"And to put the icing on the cake, you openly said that you were a marine." Rekko continued. Klenon looked away from the terminal and stared at Rekko.

"You would be right. I wasn't a quarian on pilgrimage." Klenon said.

"I think I deserve the whole story." Rekko said as he sat down on the chair in front of Klenon's desk and propped his feet up on it.

"I am marine, we know that. I was assigned to find Arenia and get some data from her, and bring her back safely. The data was very important to the Admiralty so I was told that under no circumstances should I tell anyone what I was doing." Klenon said.

"Uh-huh. That's why you were being so secretive." Rekko said, taking a sip from his glass.

"Yeah. Doesn't matter anymore, I'm not part of the Migrant Fleet anymore, but I will be helping them just as Maleko did." Klenon said.

"Aren't you worried that someone's going to come look for you?" Rekko asked.

"No, the Admiralty doesn't usually send someone to find a marine that's M.I.A. Besides, we're out in the middle of nowhere. They'll never find us." Klenon said.

"Atleast we won't have to worry about anyone shooting us for awhile." Rekko said, taking one giant gulp of the rest of the wine. He dropped the glass on the desk and straightened his shirt.

"I need to get back home. Rena is waiting for me." Rekko said.

"Thanks for the wine, by the way." he said, moving towards the door.

"Hell, I can't celebrate, too much work. Might aswell let you." Klenon said, still looking over the files in Maleko's computer.

"Well could you go out for a beer later?" Rekko asked.

"I'll see what I can do." Klenon said. Rekko just closed the door and left the building.

Klenon had looked over everything Maleko had on his computer. Most of it had to do with mining and potential residents for the Enclave.

"Lea?" Klenon suddenly said. The green ball materialized from nowhere and floated towards Klenon.

"How may I assist you?" Lea asked.

"What exactly do I have to do when I start running things around here?" Klenon asked.

"Tomorrow you'll have to look over scouting reports and decide when it is appropriate to cool down the heat sinks." Lea said.

"That's it?"

"Not at all, but it is the most important. For now, you need to rest, administrator. It takes a lot of energy for this job." Lea said. And with that, it disappeared. Klenon opened the file of potential residents and looked over the names. Most of them had abandoned the fleet, but one name caught his eye

_Golo'Mekk vas Nedas nar Tasi_

_[Ship of Service: Usela]_

_[Exile]_

_[Offense: Selling of pure quarians to the collectors]_

_[Status as a resident: Approved]_

Klenon frowned at Maleko's attempt to grab another quarian willing to sell his own people. Of course, he had heard of Golo. When he commited his atrocity, it became a hot topic to talk about in the Migrant Fleet.

The last he heard of Golo, they dropped him off at Omega. He hadn't been heard from since. Klenon quickly typed in a few commands and entered it into the data.

_[Status as a resident: Denied]_

"That bosh'tet can rot in Omega for all I care." Klenon whispered harshly. He looked at the holo-clock next to his computer and saw what time it was. He quietly groaned and shut off his computer. He stood up from his chair and walked through a door that was to his right.

Walking through it, he was in the living room. The admin building was both the administrator's work place and home. The room had the same red carpet and a pair of sofas facing each other in the middle of the room with a coffe table between them. Klenon passed by them and walked to his right.

He opened the glass doors and stepped onto a balcony with a view of the outside. He rested his hands on the stone rails and watched the two silver moons hanging in the sky.

The city was a mess. Many of them had been utterly destroyed by the fightning. Around the buildings were tents that were being used for shelter for quarians who were left homeless and injured. In the morning they were going to begin repairs to the city.

He contemplated on everything Maleko had said before he died. Was his excuse true? Was there really a threat from some unknown force? Something that destroyed an entire race fifty-thousand years ago seemed too far-fetched.

It was probably nothing to worry about, atleast not right now. For now, he had to rebulid the Enclave and get it running again.

Klenon felt a hand wrap around his arm. He look over and saw Arenia resting her head on his shoulder.

"Hey, drema." Klenon said, leaning his head against hers.

"Are you feeling okay? What did the medic say?" she asked. After the fight, Klenon had been checked out by a doctor. He had several fractured ribs and two broken ones. He also had a dislocated shoulder blade and several bruises. Thanks to modern medical science, however, most of the wounds would heal quickly. At most, it would take a week for a fulll recovery.

"Nothing too bad." Klenon said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and gently pressed her against the balcony.

Arenia placed her hands on his shoulders and stared into his eyes. She pulled him towards her and pressed her body against his.

"There's something I've been meaning to show you." she said.

"And what would that be?" Klenon asked in a husky voice, running his hand up and down her side. Arenia bit her lower lip and gently pushed Klenon away.

She grabbed his hand and led him back inside. She opened a door and pulled him inside. They were in a bedroom with a desk and a large bed on the far wall.

"Nice place." Klenon said as he looked over the room.

"There's also something else." Arenia said, pressing button near the door. The room began to hiss as it decontaminated itself.

"You said when we were able to have some peace and a clean room." she said nervously, walking up to him.

"I did." Klenon said, catching on to what she wanted. She stopped a few inches from him and put her hand on his chest.

"Now would be a better time than ever." she said, reaching up to his visor. Klenon didn't respond. He merely reached up to her visor and placed his hands on her helmet's seals.

"Ready whenever you are." Klenon said. They both took off each other's visors and saw each other's faces for the first time. Klenon admired her youthful look and her delicate features. She was more beautiful than he imagined.

Before he could say anything, Arenia wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. Her lips were warm and soft, gently sucking on his. Klenon wrapped his arms around her and softly rubbed her back, basking in kiss.

Their kissing grew in passion as Arenia buried herself deeper into the pleasurable feeling. Her eyes shot open in surprise as she felt something move inside her mouth. It began to explore every inch of her mouth before gently massaging her tongue.

She let out a quiet moan before she pushed Klenon towards the bed. He fell backwards and chuckled slightly as Arenia crawled on top of him. They shared another kiss as Klenon ran his fingertips down her spine, shivers coursing throughout her body.

Arenia broke the kiss and straddled Klenon, pulling him up to her and continuing their kiss. Klenon placed his hand on her bottom as he began to release her suit's seals with his other.

Within minutes, the air was filled with intense moaning and heavy breathing

...

Klenon stared up at the ceiling with a sleeping Arenia on his chest. Their love-making had ended a little over an hour ago.

Klenon was rubbing Arenia's bare back while his mind rewinded everything that happened in a blissful memory. In his mind he admitted it, right now was the happiest he had ever been. Every worry he had had been washed away. All thanks to the woman sleeping on his chest.

He looked down and saw that she was still peacefully sleeping. He gave her a peck on the top of her head, making her sigh happily.

"Arenia." he said quietly. She looked up and gave a small smile.

"Yes, dremo?" she said sweetly. Klenon placed a hand on her cheek and softly said

"I love you."

Arenia's eyes widen as the words echoed in her mind. He did it. He was fianlly able to open up. Her smile grew wider and she gave him a long kiss.

"I love you too." she said, breaking the kiss.

Klenon closed his eyes and sighed when he opened them, he saw that Arenia was staring deeply into his.

This was it. The final stage of the heart meld. Once they passed through this, they would be recognized as one sould and heart. They would be a couple in the eye's of the quarian people.

Klenon placed his hands on her waist and didn't break the stare. They stayed that way for a few minutes before Arenia gave him another kiss.

"I love you so much." Arenia said, nuzzling under his chin.

"I do too. Now get some rest, drema. you and I both need it." Klenon said.

"Can't you just stay in bed with me?" Arenia said.

"I'd love to, but I don't think it'd be a great first impression for the Enclave." Klenon said.

"Screw them." Arenia said playfully.

"Okay, but only the women." Klenon replied. Arenia slapped his chest, making Klenon laugh.

"Only kidding." he assured. "But really, I don't think I could take the day off." Klenon said.

"Yes you can. You're the administrator. You got plenty of time to make a good impression."

Klenon hugged her tightly and gave her another kiss.

"Whatever you want, drema"

Arenia rested her head on his chest again and quickly fell asleep. Klenon gave a sigh before his eyes slowly closed and he fell asleep, letting his dreams take him.

_An abandoned dreadnought almost devoid of life..._

**A very special thanks goes out to all of you who have reviewed and favorited this story. You guys made Never Simple what it is. **

**I'm really glad that I finished this, yet you guys should know this is only the beginning. I have a lot more writing to do before I'm done and I want you guys to experience every part of it.**

**Keep an eye out for the next Paragon story which I've named Paragon II: The Promise. And guess what, it's going to have our favorite engineer as a main character.**

**Again, special thanks goes out to all of those who have supported me and kept me going. You guys are going to keep the series running until the very end.**

**Ferret out.**

**;)**


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